Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 10350)
The official title of the Act is the 'Philippine Interior Design Act of 2012.'
The objectives are: (a) To govern the examination, registration, and licensure of professional interior designers; (b) To supervise, control, and regulate the practice of interior design; (c) To develop professional competence through continuing professional education; and (d) To integrate the interior design profession.
Interior design is defined as the science and art of planning, specifying, selecting, and organizing surface finishes, materials, furniture, furnishings, fixtures, and other interior design elements to suit, enhance, and meet the intended function, movement, and character of an interior space.
A professional interior designer is a natural person who holds a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card issued by the Board and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) pursuant to this Act.
Activities include consultation, advice, direction, evaluations, budget estimates, schematic interior design development, preparation of interior design plans and drawings, interior construction administration and supervision, and teaching of interior design subjects, among others.
The Board consists of a Chairman and two (2) members appointed by the President of the Philippines, drawn from recommendees submitted by the PRC, which are based on nominees from the Accredited and Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) of interior designers.
They must be Filipino citizens and residents, holders of a BS Interior Design or equivalent, registered interior designers with at least 10 years of active practice, not affiliated with interior design educational institutions or review centers, members of the AIPO (but not trustees or officers), and never convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.
The subjects include Interior Design, Furniture Design and Construction, Materials of Design and Decoration, History of Arts and Interior Design, Interior Construction and Utilities, Color Theory, and Professional Practice and Ethics.
Violators can be fined from Three hundred thousand pesos (Php300,000.00) to One million pesos (Php1,000,000.00), or face imprisonment from six (6) months to three (3) years, or both, at the court's discretion.
Grounds include conviction of moral turpitude offenses, violation of the Act or its IRR, fraud in obtaining registration, gross negligence causing injury or death, failure to pay annual fees for five consecutive years, illegal practice during suspension, addiction impairing professional capacity, and noncompliance with continuing professional education requirements.