REGISTRATION WITHOUT LICENSURE EXAMINATION : THE GRANDFATHER CLAUSE

REGISTRATION WITHOUT LICENSURE EXAMINATION 

Republic Act No. 6966 entitled “An Act Regulating the Practice of Librarianship and Prescribing the Qualifications of Librarians. Otherwise known as “The Philippine Librarianship Act.”

Section 18 of Republic Act No. 6966,
which is referred to as the grandfather clause, grants registration to applicants provided they meet the requirements specified in the law. It means that a provision in a new law or regulation exempts those already in or are part of the existing system which is being regulated. The law states that upon application and payment of the required fees, certification of registration as librarian shall be issued without the necessity of licensure examination to qualified applicants, who on the date of the approval of the act, are either of the following : a) librarian and supervising librarian eligibles and are holders of a bachelor’s degree ; b) first grade eligibles or their equivalent and are holders of a Bachelor’s Degree with at least eighteen (18) units in Library Science and at least five (5) years experience in librarianship, and c) first grade eligibles, or their equivalent, and are holders of a Master’s Degree in Library and/ or Information Science. The law further provided that this exception is not automatic. One must apply and they are given three (3) years from the organization of the Board for Librarians (BFL) within which to register and be included in the roster of professionals. Since the BFL was organized on November 8, 1991, three years thereafter is November 8, 1994, which was the period when application for exemption has lapsed or 6 expired. However, Res. No. 7, s. 1999 extended the period of application to allow registration of librarians under this section of the law. Many librarians availed of this provision and extension and to date there are approximately 1,586 librarians who were licensed without having to take the licensure examination. Under the present PRC administration, however, applications under this grandfather clause are no longer entertained, the reason being that all professionals should take examination in order to be licensed to add integrity and quality in the admission to the practice of any profession. In the library profession, the librarians in the private sector consider this section of the law as a controversial provision because it has adversely affected them. They claim that the law favors more the librarians in the government service because of the provision, which states that only applicants with first-grade civil service eligibility can apply for registration without examination. Most librarians in the private sector do not possess eligibility requirement, which is a necessary requirement for government employees. This is, therefore, seen by some as a sort of class legislation, which necessarily calls for either amendment or repeal.

{ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9246} AN ACT MODERNIZING THE PRACTIVE OF LIBRARIANSHIP IN THE PHILIPPINES THEREBY REPEALING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6966, ENTITLED: "AN ACT REGULATING THE PRACTICE OF LIBRARIANSHIP AND PRESCRIBING THE QUALIFICATIONS OF LIBRARIANS," APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
source : https://www.prc.gov.ph/uploaded/documents/LIBRARIAN%20LAW.PDF