1.2 Republic Act No. 544: The Civil Engineering Law and Board Regulations

1.2 Republic Act No. 544: The Civil Engineering Law and Board Regulations

The practice of civil engineering in the Philippines is regulated by Republic Act No. 544, "An Act to Regulate the Practice of Civil Engineering in the Philippines," approved on June 17, 1950. It was amended by Republic Act No. 1582 on June 16, 1956. Many of its administrative provisions now operate through the PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (RA 8981). For example, the original "Board of Examiners for Civil Engineers" under the Secretary of Public Works and Communications is today the Professional Regulatory Board of Civil Engineering under the PRC.

The law is not a separate CELE subject in the 2022 Tables of Specifications. Still, every licensed engineer works within it, and its section numbers are often misquoted. The table below gives the section map.

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Scope of Practice (Section 2)

Section 2(a) defines the practice of civil engineering as services in the form of:

consultation, design, preparation of plans, specifications, estimates, erection, installation and supervision of the construction of streets, bridges, highways, railroads, airports and hangars, port works, canals, river and shore improvements, lighthouses, and dry docks; buildings, fixed structures for irrigation, flood protection, drainage, water supply and sewerage works; demolition of permanent structures; and tunnels.

Section 2(a) adds that this enumeration "shall not be construed as excluding any other work requiring civil engineering knowledge and application." Section 2(b) defines a civil engineer as a person duly registered with the Board in the manner the Act provides.

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The Board (Sections 3–5)

• Composition and term (Section 3). The Board has a chairman and two members. Each holds office for three years, and the first appointees were given staggered one-, two-, and three-year terms. A member may be removed for neglect of duty, incompetency, malpractice, or unprofessional, unethical, immoral, or dishonorable conduct, after an administrative investigation. Vacancies are filled only for the unexpired term. Appointments now follow RA 8981, under which the Commission recommends nominees to the President.
• Powers (Section 4). The Board administers oaths, and it issues, suspends, and revokes certificates of registration. It investigates violations and issues subpoena and subpoena duces tecum. It may inspect civil engineering schools and works, and it may issue rules with approval. Section 4 also directs the Board to adopt a code of ethics and to have an official seal.
• Qualifications of members (Section 5). At appointment, each member must:
  1. be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;
  2. be at least thirty years old and of good moral character;
  3. be a graduate of civil engineering from a recognized school;
  4. be a registered civil engineer;
  5. have practiced civil engineering, with a certificate, for not less than ten years before appointment;
  6. not be a faculty member of a school where civil engineering is taught, nor have a pecuniary interest in one;
  7. if a former faculty member, have stopped teaching for at least three consecutive years.

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Examination and Registration (Sections 8–19)

• Section 8 requires every applicant for registration to pass a technical examination.
• Section 9 originally fixed examinations in Manila in February and August. The PRC now sets dates, such as the March and September 2026 CELE administrations.
• Section 10 lists the subjects the Board may examine: mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, analytics, geometry, calculus, rational and applied mechanics), hydraulics, surveying, and the design and construction of highways, railroads, masonry, wooden and reinforced concrete buildings, bridges, towers, walls, foundations, ports, aqueducts, sanitary works, water supply systems, dikes, dams, and irrigation and drainage canals. The 2022 TOS organizes these into the three present subjects.
• Section 12 requires that, before the examination, an applicant establish that he or she:
  • is at least 21 years old;
  • is a citizen of the Philippines;
  • is of good reputation and moral character;
  • is a graduate of a four-year civil engineering course from a school recognized by the government.
• Section 13 requires successful candidates to take a professional oath before entering practice.
• Sections 16–18 set out when the Board must refuse a certificate. Grounds include conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, immoral or dishonorable conduct, and unsound mind. They also cover suspension or revocation after notice and hearing, and re-issue of a revoked certificate after at least one year.

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Seal and Signing (Sections 14 and 23)

Section 14 requires every registered civil engineer to obtain a seal of a design the Board authorizes, which must include the serial number of the certificate. Plans and specifications prepared by, or under the direct supervision of, the engineer are stamped with that seal during the life of the certificate. It is unlawful for anyone to stamp or seal documents with the seal after the certificate has expired or been revoked, unless it has been renewed or re-issued.

Section 23 makes it unlawful to order or cause the construction, reconstruction, or alteration of structures for public assembly, such as theaters, stadia, and churches, or of any engineering structure in Section 2, unless:

• the designs, plans, and specifications were prepared under the responsible charge of, and signed and sealed by, a registered civil engineer; and
• the work is executed under the responsible charge and direct supervision of a civil engineer.

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Registration Required and Penalties (Sections 21–22)

Section 21: unless exempt, no person may practice or offer to practice civil engineering without a certificate of registration.

Section 22 penalizes any person who:

• practices or offers to practice without registration;
• presents or attempts to use another engineer's certificate as his own;
• gives false or forged evidence to the Board;
• impersonates a registrant;
• attempts to use a revoked or suspended certificate;
• uses a title that implies he is a civil engineer without a valid certificate; or
• violates any provision of the Act.

The offense is a misdemeanor. On conviction, the penalty is a fine of not less than ₱500 nor more than ₱2,000, imprisonment of not less than six months nor more than one year, or both, at the court's discretion.

Section 15 lists exemptions. Examples are personnel of the armed forces rendering services for the government, and civil engineers or experts called in by the Philippine government for specific works, limited to that work. It also permits certain small or farm wooden buildings and owner-built light residential houses that comply with local ordinances. Section 24 allows firms and corporations to practice only under the supervision of registered civil engineers.

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Reciprocity for Foreign Engineers (Section 25)

A person who is not a Philippine citizen when applying may take the examination only by proving, as provided by the Rules of Court, one of two things about the law of his own country. Either it admits Filipinos to the same profession without restriction, or it allows them to practice after an examination on terms of strict and absolute equality with its own citizens, including unconditional recognition of Philippine degrees. Temporary practice by foreign professionals today is handled through PRC special temporary permits under RA 8981 and PRC rules.