PRESS RELEASE
PR-065-2023
(27 April 2023, Singapore) The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, through its Migrant Workers Office (MWO), and in coordination with the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), successfully conducted the 2023 Special Professional Licensure Examination (SPLE) on 22-24 April 2023, held in two locations in Singapore, the Bayanihan Center and NTU@One North.
The three-day examinations covered sixteen (16) professions including nursing, architecture, engineering, teaching and veterinary medicine, among others. This year’s SPLE received positive feedback from Filipino professionals in the city-state as it recognized the importance of enhancing the employability and competitiveness of Overseas Filipinos through the licensure examinations. It is also a response to the call of various Filipino professional organizations in Singapore to conduct an SPLE this year, following a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last SPLE conducted in Singapore was in 2018.
Of the four hundred seventy-five (475) registered SPLE examinees, three hundred fifty-six (356), or 74.9 percent, took and finished the examinations.
Aside from Singapore, simultaneous SPLEs were also conducted over the weekend in countries in the Middle East, namely, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo G. Macaraig, during the courtesy call on him by the PRC representatives on 26 April 2023, expressed his appreciation to the Commission for responding to the request of the Filipino community in Singapore to hold the SPLE, thus supporting their need to acquire a license to advance their professional development. He likewise thanked Embassy and MWO staff, as well as the Filipino volunteers in Singapore, who provided assistance in the conduct of the SPLE. Ambassador Macaraig also assured the PRC and the MWO of the Embassy’s continued support for the conduct of SPLEs in the future, to ensure that Filipino nationals abroad are provided with the opportunity to take their professional exams while working overseas.
The 2023 SPLE was held pursuant to Executive Order No. 835, s 2009, Directing the Professional Regulation Commission and Other Concerned Government Agencies through the Department of Labor and Employment to Conduct a Yearly Special Professional Licensure Board Examinations (SPLBE) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Other Middle East Countries for the Benefit of Qualified Overseas Filipino Workers (END).
