Legal Authority of the Commission
- The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has authority under Republic Act No. 8981:
- Section 7 (b) empowers PRC to issue rules, regulations, orders, and administrative issuances necessary for its functions.
- Section 7 (d) empowers PRC to approve and release examination results and publish the successful examinees.
Key Provisions on the Release of Topnotchers
- The official release must include the rank, name, college, and general average rating of topnotchers.
- Number of topnotchers to be released:
- First 20 topnotchers if examinees are 3,000 or more and successful examinees are at least 100.
- First 10 topnotchers if examinees are between 100 and less than 3,000 with at least 50 successful examinees.
- No listing if these minimum thresholds are not met.
- For examinations divided into several grades, the number of examinees per grade determines whether the top 10 or 20 are listed.
Conditions Regarding Eligibility and Publication
- Names of examinees whose papers are subject to cancellation due to violations will not be published.
- Such cases will show notation: "Name withheld pending investigation".
- If no cancellation occurs, the name is added to the official results and appropriately amended.
- To qualify as a topnotcher, the examinee must have taken the full exam and must not have failed twice in previous attempts.
Implementation and Dissemination
- The Professional Regulatory Boards, Rating Division, and Legal and Investigation Division are responsible for strict implementation.
- The Department of Education will be informed to disseminate the resolution to all relevant colleges.
Effectivity
- The resolution takes effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation, whichever is earlier.