Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

REFLECTION PAPER

Is RA 10350 effective in regulating the practice of interior design, protecting the public welfare
and promotion of the interior design profession in the Philippines? Give at least 6 reasons to justify
your answers with reference to fact or evidence. Please cite your source.

The Republic Act 10350 “An Act Regulating the Practice of Interior Design in the Philippines” is
known as the “Philippine Interior Design Act of 2012”. The state recognizes the importance of the Interior
Design profession in nation-building. According to the Act it oaths to deliver the promotion of sustained
development of practicing professionals of Interior Design, who abide by an honest and credible licensure
examination whose professional standards are exceptional and are globally renowned and competitive
enough to bring a stand an upright professional service anchored in regulatory measures, programs, and
activities for the advancement of the profession.

In this regard, modernizing and regulating the practice of the Interior Design profession both
empower and protect the light of the professional practitioners and the clients or consumers. Though,
according to the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID). The profession and the practice of ‘Interior
design is not an exclusive term for the practitioners, as there is still room for enhancements to the existing
republic act 10350 laws, moreover according to the organization, as a result of this, anyone was able to
practice design and call themselves a design consultant, Stylist, an ‘Interior Decorator’ irrespective to what
expertise or experience they have.

However, based on the previous state of the discipline in the Philippines, I can attest that RA 10350
is somehow effective in regulating the practice of Interior Design for the benefit of both ends for the user
of the space and the Interior designer, on the basis of;

I. The Significance of the Republic Act

supported by the senate, pointing out the significance of a republic act according to
(Senate of the Philippines Linkages Update Volume 13 No. 8 18th Congress Series of 2021) A
Republic Act is an important piece of legislation that will serve as a guide to carry out the principles
of the Constitution. The moment a Republic Act was enacted to support a certain discipline, like
Interior Design, the profession is lifted with a high standard of practice, professionalism, and
competence. This legislation that created policy ensures the promulgation of the profession and
its track to growth bounded by the principles of the constitution and the profession's technical
scopes and terms indicated in the act.

II. Professional Practice Regulation

Given the provision of the repealed law wherein, unlicensed Interior design practitioners
were penalized under the law. Given a case, James Deakin was castigated for hiring a
"decorator" rather than a licensed interior designer. He is far from the first to do so, yet as one
of the more well-known figures, many professional designers saw it as both an insult and an
endorsement to hire unlicensed interior decorators. (Buenaventura, 2020). Some Professional
practitioners appealed and wrote about the incident.

“When someone like James Deakin promotes unlicensed practitioners, we should do

something about it.” “Blatantly disregards the profession,”,

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

“Our collective voices need to be heard. There is a law for interior design. RA 10350.”

As a reply, “Cream always floats to the top. If you’re good enough, and you market
yourself half as well as these YouTubers or bloggers like Elle Uy, you too will get your clients. I
know this because Elle turns down far more work than she accepts. So it’s not a question of
shortage. There’s plenty for everyone—or at least anyone that is willing to go out there and take
it.”

To counter this, one replied “I am not discounting the creativity of these people who DIY.
However, interior design is not just about looking pretty. It is both an art and a science.
Sometimes, you only realize these mistakes once you start using your space. I'm not advocating
that we, as licensed professionals, are infallible. Yes, we still make mistakes as we are only
human after all. But the important thing is we study and learn about interior design so that we
can serve our clients better. So yes, you might think you are saving money, however, in the long
run, correcting mistakes becomes more expensive. It's time to allow our collective voices to be
heard. There is a law for interior design, RA10350.”

In the end, it’s a lengthy discussion and commentaries about their own opinion on the
case, in the end, everyone is entitled to their own view, a cliché phrase, but true. However, it
should be taken into consideration that with given influence, we should be wary of advertising
unlawful practices punishable under RA 10350, because at the end of the day professionals have
the competencies and science base knowledge for the discipline.

III. Civil Liability

Aside from the service that was rendered to the client or the community, they are given
assurance for the said services, supported by RA 10350. According to the Article the Philippine
Interior Design Act gets tougher, 2013. On the first year of project completion, the designer will
assume full responsibility for any damage or destruction, except those brought about by forces
of nature. If there are defects in the project born out of his/her plans, the designer will perform
the repair, at his or her expense, within 45 days from the time the client lodged the complaint.
(Enriques, 2013). This clause gives protection to the client for the designer's accountability for
the design and service rendered.

IV. Professional development Programs by PIID and other Organizational formations of

the Interior design profession

PIID is the accredited institution of the Philippine government as a community of

professional interior design practitioners, formed after the continuous rigor to advance the
profession in the industry. According to the Republic act 10350,

Section 13 Annual Report states that The Board shall, at the close of each calendar year,
submit an annual report to the President of the Philippines, through the Commission, giving a
detailed account of its proceedings and accomplishments during the year and making
recommendations for the adoption of measures that will upgrade and improve the conditions
affecting the practice of interior design.

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

With this provision, organizations have significant contributions in showing the effort to
improve and advance the competency of the profession through projects of the formed
organizations, e.g., PIID recently conducted a partnership with CIDE that conducts an event
named KIDLAT one of the many projects for intercollegiate events among universities in the
Philippines.

V. The empowerment of the Profession

President Aquino signed the expanded Philippine Interior Design Act of 2012 (Republic
Act 10350) last December, fifteen years after the first law was passed.

Likewise with the other professional titles like Dr. MD, and Ar. to name some, Interior
designers have their own titles used by board-certified professional interior designers. The title
IDr. to the name was given to recognize the profession and its practitioners. Moreover, as cited
in the article by Philippine daily inquirer “Previously, people could get away with it. They put
‘Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape’ in their cards. Now, they can’t do that anymore,”
says Alonzo. “ If you have a natural talent for composing things, you are just a decorator. An
interior designer goes beyond decoration. Professional interior designers address safety,
materials, space planning, anthropometrics (the comparative study of the human body
measurements and properties), and ergonomics (making the environment comfortable using
anthropometric data).

VI. Enforcement of the law

One of the most important above all is the enforcement of the law, where all provisions
are being followed and people involved, the professional practitioners, clients, and the public.

One case is the above-cited scenario wherein, there is a strong discussion about a book
authored by Andrew Keen controversial 2007 book The Cult of the Amateur of the inevitable
destruction of our cultural institutions—newspapers, music, movies, design, and so on—due to
the Internet. Amateur singers, for example, can become YouTube sensations overnight with little
training and a lot of luck. Home cooks with "training" from online cooking videos compete with
professional chefs. And anyone with an opinion, no matter how ill-informed, can now broadcast
it to a large audience, further blurring the lines between expert and hobbyist. (Chua, 2020).
According to the Republic act which separates a clear line between amateur decorator DYI
practitioners and professionals.

Section 26. Lawful Practitioners of Interior Design. – The following persons shall be
authorized to practice the interior design profession:

(a) Natural persons who are:

(1) Duly registered and licensed as interior designers and holders of valid
certificates of registration and valid professional identification cards issued by the Board
and the Commission pursuant to this Act; and

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

(2) Holders of valid temporary/special permits issued by the Board and the
Commission to foreign licensed interior designers pursuant to this Act.

(b) Juridical persons:

(1) Single proprietorship owned by a registered and licensed interior designer;

(2) General professional partnership duly registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) as a professional partnership pursuant to the Civil Code and
composed of partners who are all duly registered and licensed interior designers; and

(3) Corporation whose chief executive officer (CEO) and other key officers are all
registered and licensed interior designers may be duly registered with the SEC as
engaged in the practice of interior design.

In this regard, Legal counsel for the Philippine Institute of Interior Design (PIID), Atty.
According to Dennis Gorecho, stricter enforcement of the law will safeguard the credibility of
local practitioners. He believes it is a reasonable move to distinguish licensed interior designers
from unlicensed practitioners. Moreover, the new law that was repealed provides additional
provisions and enhancements to the existing provision widening the area of discipline and
promotion of the profession in the Philippines.

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

Is there a need to amend or repeal RA 10350? Justify your answer and cite your source.

The Interior Design student is hereby proposing amendments and addenda on the existing provisions of
the Republic act 10350 otherwise known as the "Philippine Interior Design Act of 2012″

Whereas;

THE PROVISION OF ROBUST IMPLEMENTATION AND ENACTMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY AND

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE IN THE INTERIOR DESIGN PROFESSION IS HEREBY PRESENTED THROUGH THE;

I. Materials selection
II. Sustainable resources protection
III. Less carbon-footprint construction practices
IV. Socio-environmental awareness
V. Promotion of locally produce construction materials

Background of the proposed Addendum

Among countries in the World Philippines is one of the most vulnerable to climate change threats.
According to United Nations, Philippines, despite being one of the smallest contributors to CO2 emissions,
the Philippines is the world's second most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global
Climate Risk Index 2020. According to the most recent Global Report on Internal Displacement, over 4
million Filipinos were displaced in 2020 alone, with typhoons being the primary cause.

Moreover, the Philippines over the previous years receives a compounding amount of natural
disasters that heavily struck the Philippine archipelago. According to (Amnesty.org.uk, 2021) research
shows a skyrocketing number of storms hit the Philippines in the past decades, according to the article this
is due to rising temperatures, caused by worsening global warming and the carbon footprints of large
companies. Not to mention other effects it creates along with worsening natural disaster intensities are;
Rising sea levels, death of sea and land animals, worsening typhoons, and more that the Philippines is
expecting to brace on.

With this note, the current state of our country is pivoting to a new era of awareness in protecting
the environment and the community it envelops, and it is indeed that everyone especially professionals
takes part in the long-term solution-making that would need. According to (Afable, 2019), "Construction
has several societal effects. Construction methods, materials, and activities all influence the Environment.
Construction initiatives exacerbate climate change. The industry accounts for about 25 to 40% of total
global carbon emissions. According to estimates, emissions from commercial buildings might increase by
up to 1.8 percent by 2030." In interior design, we designers cover different projects from large buildings'

Interior space to every detail an interior space might have. Undeniably true also that the
construction industry is one of the major contributors of pollutants that significantly contribute to climate
change. In turn, as part of professional interior designers have a responsibility in taking part in the solution
to make their community safe while doing the service of a designer.

There are a lot of possible ways that parallel the practice of sustainability. As interior designers
of today’s time, our forefront duty is to always be accountable for our designs in solving world issues and

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Department of Interior Design

concerns. Even on a small scale, the awareness we translate to design contributes to the solution the
world needs. Together with other allied professionals, we help build a foundation for a greener future
for the next generation.

Reference:

Afable, M. V. (2022, March 7). Building green – minimizing the environmental impact of
construction. Bold Business. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.boldbusiness.com/infrastructure/green-construction-
environmental-impact/

Buenaventura, M. (2020, October 5). It's James Deakin versus licensed interior designers
this time. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from
https://mb.com.ph/2020/10/05/its-james-deakin-versus-licensed-interior-
designers-this-time/

Enriquez , M. (2013, February 19). The Philippine Interior Design Act gets tougher.
Lifestyle.INQ. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/90691/the-philippine-interior-design-act-gets-
tougher/

EPGJr., D. (2019). WHY HIRE A PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR DESIGNER? Interior Design. Retrieved
November 4, 2022, from https://www.piid.org.ph/interiordesigner.html

Health and Wellness & nbsp Human Interest & nbsp Latest Stories . (2013, February
19). The Philippine Interior Design Act gets tougher. Lifestyle.INQ. Retrieved
November 4, 2022, from https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/90691/the-philippine-
interior-design-act-gets-tougher/

Senate of the Philippines Linkages Update Volume 13 No. 8 18th Congress Series of 2021.
Publications - senate of the Philippines. (2021). Retrieved November 4, 2022, from
https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/publications/ils_publications.asp

SUNSTAR. (2013, June 18). Licensed designers see boost in credibility from new law.
SUNSTAR. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/289982/licensed-designers-see-boost-in-
credibility-from-new-law

Anonas cor Pureza Streets, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

Website: www.pup.edu.ph | Email: cadbe@pup.edu.ph

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