Paolo Duterte seeks repeal of Trillanes' CPD Law

House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte is set to file a bill repealing a law introduced by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV requiring Filipino professionals to take additional formal and non-formal learning before they can renew their licenses and identification cards.

In a statement issued late Tuesday night, Duterte announced that he will file a measure repealing Republic Act 10912, or the "Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act of 2016."

Under the law, CPD is defined as the "inculcation of advanced knowledge, skills, and ethical values in a post-licensure specialization or in an inter- or multi-disciplinary field of study, for assimilation into professional practice, self-directed research, and/or lifelong learning."

This law makes CPD a mandatory requirement in the renewal of professional identification cards of all registered and licensed professionals under the regulation of the Professional Regulation Commission.

According to Duterte, while he supports the lifelong learning of Filipino professionals to improve their craft, the requirements set by the CPD law "just adds to the burden they have to deal with."

"After a long day of work, they are forced to spend a bulk of their salary, take absences from work, and go through unreasonable hardships just so they can renew their licenses and continue the practice of their professions,” the presidential son said.

“This CPD law is uncalled for. To address this, we will file a bill repealing this anti-professional measure introduced by Trillanes. We can actually help our professionals meet global standards through other means, without passing the burden to them,” he added.

Duterte also said that the measure he is proposing serves as gratitude to professional frontliners who had to continuously render their services to the nation in the time of the coronavirus disease 2019.

"We have witnessed the selfless acts of our professional frontliners. They do not deserve the CPD law,” he said.

“This is long overdue. We will not just file it for the sake of filing. We will file this bill, seek support from our colleagues in Congress, and make sure that this is enacted as soon as possible,” he added.

In the 18th Congress, a total of four measures have so far been filed to repeal the CPD Law.

GMA News Online has sought Trillanes' comment on the matter.

Trillanes earlier accused Paolo of being part of a drug triad. The younger Duterte has filed cases against the former senator.—AOL, GMA News