Speech pathologists soon required to take board exam

SPEECH language pathologists in the country may soon have to take a licensure examination and comply with other measures aimed at professionalizing the sector after the House of Representatives, voting 170-0, approved on third and final reading the bill seeking to regulate the profession.

House Bill 8529, or the “Speech Language Pathology Act”, seeks to “promote the development of a corps of competent, world class and globally competitive speech language pathologists” through the establishment of mechanisms, safeguards, and procedures for the development of the profession in the country."

In March 2017, the Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 462 or the “Speech Language Pathology Act of 2016.” The bill was authored by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Antonio Trillanes IV.

The House bill was authored by Representatives Mario Vittorio Mariño, Maria Carmen Zamora, Gary Alejano, among others. It defines speech language pathology as the “allied health profession devoted to the evaluation, diagnosis, management, and prevention of human communication and swallowing disorders.”

HB 8529 provides for the creation of the Board of Speech Language Pathology that will ensure the effective supervision of the practice of speech language pathology in the country.

The Board is mandated to: 1) promulgate, administer, and enforce rules and regulations necessary to carry out the mandate of the measure; 2) supervise and regulate the registration, licensure, and practice of speech language pathology in the Philippines; 3) develop and maintain standards for the practice of speech language pathology; and 4) adopt a Code of Ethics for speech language pathologists.

Under the measure, all applicants for registration for the practice of speech language pathology shall be required to undergo a licensure examination. The bill likewise seeks the integration of all speech language pathologists in the country into one accredited professional organization recognized by the Board of Speech Language Pathology and the Professional Regulations Commission.

According to the bill, those who will represent themselves as speech language pathologist without certification, those unqualified to practice the profession who will be found to be using a professional license of a speech pathologist and those who will use a certification belonging to another person shall be punished by a fine of P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of two to five years or both, depending on the court. (SunStar Philippines)

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