The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC/Commission) is the licensing and regulatory agency of the national government for the practice of regulated professions.

It was first created as a national government agency by Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 223 dated June 22, 1973, signed by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, mandated to enforce the laws regulating the various professions. It was previously called the Office of the Board of Examiners, which was created by Republic Act No. 546 on June 17, 1950, under the aegis of the Civil Service Commission.

The PRC became operational on January 4, 1974. The office was attached to the Office of the President for general direction and coordination. On December 9, 1974, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 223 were promulgated, paving the way for standardization of rules and procedures for the thirty-three (33) professions then under the CSC.

On December 5, 2000, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada signed Republic Act No. 8981 otherwise known as the PRC Modernization Act of 2000. The Implementing Rules and Regulations were adopted on February 15, 2001 through PRC Resolution No. 1 series of 2001. With the passing of RA 8981, the Commission exercises three functions: 1) executive functions; 2) quasi-legislative functions; and 3) quasi-judicial functions. It had also set its new thrusts and priorities such as customer-focused service, modernization through full computerization and re-structuring, integrity of licensure examinations, good governance, protection and promotion of Filipino professionals and support to national development priorities.

In fulfillment of its legal mandate, the PRC performs two important functions, which are: 1) to conduct and administer licensure examinations to aspiring professionals, and 2) to regulate and supervise the practice of the professions exercised in partnership with the forty-six (46) Professional Regulatory Boards (PRBs) in the fields of health, business, education, social sciences, engineering and technology. The PRBs govern their respective professions’ practice and ethical standards and accredit the professional organization representing the professionals.

On September 11, 2006, as supplemented by Executive Order No. 565-A, PRC was attached to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for administrative supervision and control. Being an attached agency of the DOLE, the PRC works closely to the mandate of its mother agency.

The PRC serves more than 4.9 million professionals (as of October 2022) from 46 various regulated professions and the hundreds of thousands of aspiring professionals who take the licensure examinations every year. Thus, PRC stakeholders include the professionals, would-be professionals, accredited professional organizations, foreign professionals seeking temporary permit to practice their professions in the country, schools and academe, and other government agencies.

To better carry out its mandate and in order to implement the PRC Modernization Act, the PRC was given approval by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on April 20, 2013 to implement a reorganization of its organizational structure.

On June 8, 2016, the new Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern (OSSP) pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 8981 was approved by DBM. The Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (NOSCA) formalizing the approved OSSP of PRC Central Office, effective not earlier than June 8, 2016, has been transmitted by DBM on October 10, 2016.

Further, the Office of the President, through the Executive Secretary, issued a Memorandum on May 16, 2017 on the approval of the creation of PRC new offices/services: Regional Offices in NCR & Regions I, III, IV-B, XII and XIII, Legal Service, International Affairs Office, Information and Communications Technology Service, and Planning, Management and Financial Service. The NOSCA formalizing the approved OSSP of the approved new offices and positions and the reclassification of key positions was issued by DBM on August 2, 2017.

With the reorganization, the plantilla positions were increased from Four Hundred Eighty-Four (484) to One Thousand Sixty-Eight (1068) and the previous ten (10) field offices were converted into Regional Offices, in addition to the six (6) new Regional Offices. These changes led to reclassification and conversion of key positions resulting in upgrades in rank and salary.

With the desire to continuously expand its reach and serve more clients, especially in the far-flung areas, PRC, at present, has established at least thirty (30) Service Centers, and One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCOs) nationwide. With a strong commitment to delivering its core processes by facilitating ease of access and bringing its services closer to the people, the Commission’s Service Centers has served more than three (3) million clients from FY 2016 to 2021.