The Philippine Report referenced against the ASEAN Qualifications Reference

Framework (AQRF) has been accepted as aligned to the AQRF Referencing Criteria
and has been endorsed by the AQRF Committee to the ASEAN Ministers of Economy,
Education and Labour.

The AQRF is a common reference framework, functioning as a device to enable

comparisons of qualifications across ASEAN Member States (AMS). It addresses the
education and training sectors that aim to support lifelong learning and the mobility of
workers and learners. The AQRF is underpinned by 11 referencing criteria which is a
set of agreed quality assurance principles and standards. The journey of iteratively
revising the Philippine Referencing Report to the AQRF, in response to comments from
the AMS and international experts, provided an opportunity to collectively reflect and
arrive at a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the country’s education and
training system.

The report describes the Philippine education and training system and responsibilities
and legal bases of all relevant national bodies involved in the referencing process. It
also presented the procedures for the inclusion of qualifications in the PQF and in the
Philippine Qualifications Register (PhQuaR). The report ascertains the demonstrable
link between the qualification levels in the PQF and the AQRF and the basis in agreed
standards of the qualifications system. A mapping of the complex quality assurance
system of the Philippines follows the discussion of standards.

The Philippine report was developed by the National Referencing Committee

established specifically for the AQRF referencing and was endorsed by the PQF
National Coordinating Council. The writing of report began in May 2017 and the drafts
were subjected to validation and consultations with various stakeholders. Comments
and additional inputs from local stakeholders were discussed within the NRC and with
related stakeholders and were incorporated in the revisions of the draft.

The Report was considered through a peer evaluation process among the members of
the AQRF Committee in meetings and workshops and in intersessional exchanges of
clarifications and revisions. The Referencing Report of Malaysia was also considered
and endorsed following the same process.

The Philippine Report to the AQRF Referencing is a major effort to fulfill one of the
objectives of Republic Act 10968, also known as the PQF law, which is to align
domestic qualification standards with international qualifications frameworks for
recognition of the value and comparability of Philippine qualifications thereby supporting
the mobility of Filipino workers and learners.

What is the Philippine Qualifications Framework

(PQF)?
The PQF describes the levels of educational qualifications and sets the standards for
qualification outcomes. It is a quality assured national system for the development,
recognition and award of qualifications based on standards of knowledge, skills and
values acquired in different ways and methods by learners and workers of the country.

Qualifications
It refers to the formal certification that a person has successfully achieved specific
learning outcomes relevant to the identified academic, industry or community
requirements. A Qualification confers official recognition of value in the labor market
and in further education and training.

Objectives:
(a) To adopt national standards and levels of learning outcomes of education;
(b) To support the development and maintenance of pathways and equivalencies that
enable access to qualifications and to assist individuals to move easily and readily
between the different education and training sectors and between these sectors and the
labor market; and
(c) To align domestic qualification standards with the international qualifications
framework thereby enhancing recognition of the value and comparability of Philippine
qualifications and supporting the mobility of Filipino students and workers.

The Philippine Qualifications Framework - It is a collaborative program by the

Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) , Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).