PRC 7 Exec Says Undermanned Office Overwhelmed by Wave of LET Applicants

An official of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) 7 said their undermanned office was overwhelmed by the unusual high number of applicants for the September 2016 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

PRC 7 Public Information Officer Armond Englis said they usually only cater to applicants from Region 7, but they’ve been receiving applicants from other regions like Regions 6 and 8 and from Mindanao.

A photograph of hundreds of applicants sleeping on the sidewalk beside the PRC 7 office in Mandaue City appeared on the front page of Sun.Star Cebu on Monday.

They arrived as early as 11 p.m. last July 21 to get priority numbers at 5 a.m. the next day, which was the deadline for the teachers board exam.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has promised to cut lines for government services, especially in the PRC, the Land Transportation Office, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Bureau of Customs, among others.

Englis said this situation usually occurs when the deadline of the examination is fast approaching.

Friday was the deadline for LET repeater applicants and July 29 is the deadline for LET first-timers.

Englis said PRC Cebu has only 36 employees, 20 of them are job-orders and covers only Region 7 like Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, but now gets applicants from other regions.

“In fact, we give 500 priority numbers for LET applicants only and we still have other applicants for various professions,” Englis said.

Englis said the PRC 7 also processes renewal of licenses, state board verification, certifications and initial registrations for new passers daily. (PNA) RMA/EB/EDS