Dubai: Filipinos in Dubai have urged their government to hold a separate professional licensure examinations in the emirate in addition to Abu Dhabi to help them save money, time, and effort.
Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes met association representatives on Sunday to discuss their request to have their own testing centre in Dubai.
Filipinos who want to become licensed professionals need to take the board examinations with Manila’s Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). This Philippine-recognised licence ensures that the holder has gone through a reliable, trustworthy, and progressive system that is validated, recognised and regulated by the government.
In the Middle East, the special exams will take place from September 14 to 16 in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Kuwait. The exams will be for 16 professions, including architects, engineers, and nurses, among others.
“The board exams take two to three days, so many taking the exam from Dubai choose to stay in hotels in Abu Dhabi to avoid the hassle of daily commuting. That’s an additional expense considering the bulk are from Dubai anyway,” said Jaime Tasarra from the United Architects of the Philippines — Dubai Chapter.
Maria Fe Dayot, who represented the Overseas Filipino Civil Engineers Association, said having a testing centre in Dubai will also help ease the stress levels of those taking the exam.
“Those who can’t stay in hotels commute to the testing centre every day. By the time they reach the centre, they’re already exhausted from the commute,” Dayot said.
Cortes noted the group’s sentiments and promised to send a formal request to the PRC in Manila for Dubai to have its own testing centre.
“Around 90 per cent of the examinees are in Dubai. We hope to get a favourable response from the PRC because demand is greater here,” Cortes said.
