Republic Act No. 7920 - New Electrical Engineering Law Flashcards

Vocabulary-style study flashcards summarizing terms, qualifications, legal definitions, and regulatory requirements specified in Republic Act No. 7920 (New Electrical Engineering Law).

Republic Act No. 7920

The New Electrical Engineering Law, amended on February 24, 1995, which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 11063 and Senate Bill No. 1766 providing regulation for the practice, licensing, and registration of electrical engineers and electricians.

Republic Act No. 184

The old Electrical Engineering Law, enacted on June 21, 1947.

Practice of electrical engineering

Rendering or offering to render professional electrical engineering services including consultation, design, supervision of installation or operation, manufacture/repair of electrical equipment, teaching professional subjects, and sales/distribution requiring engineering calculations.

Electric supply equipment

Any equipment which produces, modifies, regulates, or controls the supply of electrical energy.

Electric Plant

An establishment or a system for the production and modification of electric energy.

Power plant design

Refers to planning, specifying, coordinating, and layouting of electrical equipment in power plants, substations, and the like.

Substation

Any building, room, or separate place which houses or encloses electric supply equipment connected to transmission or distribution lines and whose interior is accessible, as a rule, only to properly qualified persons.

Electrical System Design

Refers to the choice of electrical systems, including planning and detailing of requirements for protection, control, monitoring, coordination, and interlocking of electrical systems.

Voltage

The highest effective potential difference between any two conductors of the circuit concerned expressed in volts.

kVA

Refers to the installed capacity of an alternating current (A.C.) electric plant or supply equipment, or the connected load of industrial plants, commercial establishments, and institutional buildings expressed in kilovolt-amperes.

kW

Refers to the installed capacity of a direct current (D.C.) electric plant on board watercraft expressed in kilowatts.

Utilization equipment

Energy-consuming equipment including motors, heaters, furnaces, light sources, and other devices which utilize electric energy for any purpose.

Industrial plant or factory

Manufacturing assembly plants, including engineering shops, shipyards, or other business endeavors where electrical machinery and equipment are installed.

Commercial establishments

Department stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, office buildings, hotels, theaters, stadiums, condominiums, convention centers, restaurants, and the like, used for business or profit.

Institutional buildings

School buildings, hospitals, museums, display centers, government buildings, and the like.

Watercraft

Any waterborne unit which is designed and built to have an electric plant.

Electric locomotive

Refers to the power plant mounted on wheels as used in the railroad transportation industry.

Board of Electrical Engineering

A collegial body under the general supervision and administrative control of the Professional Regulation Commission, composed of a chairman and two (2) members appointed by the President of the Philippines.

Qualifications of Board Members

Must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, resident for at least $5$ consecutive years, at least $35$ years of age, BSEE degree holder, PEE with valid license, practiced for at least $10$ years, and free from faculty/pecuniary interest in BSEE schools or review centers.

Term of Office of Board Members

Members of the Board hold office for a term of $3$ years from the date of appointment and may be reappointed for a second term.

Board Member Compensation

Monthly compensation of no less than $\text{P}12,000.00$, with the chairman receiving $10BA$ percent ($10BA$% or $10BA$ percent) more (specifically $10BA$% more than members).

Executive Officer of the Board

The Commissioner of the Professional Regulation Commission, who conducts examinations and designates a subordinate officer to act as secretary and custodian of records.

Examination Fees Allocation

$90BA$% is treated as a special fund for programs/projects of the Commission, and $10BA$% is set aside as a trust fund for continuing education and research.

Registration and License Fees Allocation

$50BA$% treated as a special fund for PRC programs, and $50BA$% set up in a separate special fund for supervisory and regulatory functions of the Board.

Foreign Professional Exemption Tenure

Exemption granted to foreign electrical engineers or installers is valid for six ($6$) months, renewable for another six ($6$) months at the discretion of the Board.

Understudy Requirement for Foreign Professionals

For every foreign professional contracted, one ($1$) Filipino understudy who is registered under RA 7920 must be employed by the private firm for at least the duration of the alien expert's tenure.

Private Electric Generating Set Exemption

Exempts persons operating generating sets for private use employing voltages not exceeding $250\,V$ and capacity not exceeding $50\,kVA$ from registration, provided it is inspected yearly by a PEE or REE.

Qualifications for PEE Applicant

Filipino citizen, good reputation, holder of BSEE degree, and a registered electrical engineer with at least four ($4$) years of active practice from the date of REE registration.

Qualifications for REE Examination Applicant

Filipino citizen, at least twenty-one ($21$) years of age, of good reputation, with no conviction involving moral turpitude, and a holder of a BSEE degree.

Qualifications for RME Examination Applicant

Filipino citizen, at least eighteen ($18$) years of age, of good reputation, no conviction involving moral turpitude, and meeting specific technical education and apprenticeship requirements.

REE Examination Mathematics Weight

Covers algebra, calculus, complex numbers, probability, differential equations, Fourier analysis, Laplace transforms, etc., with a relative weight of $25BA$%.

REE Examination ESAS Weight

Covers engineering sciences and allied subjects including physics, mechanics, materials, economics, law, ethics, and Philippine Electrical Code, with a relative weight of $30BA$%.

REE Examination EE Professional Subjects Weight

Covers electrical circuits, power systems, machines, control systems, illumination, building wiring, etc., with a relative weight of $45BA$%.

REE Examination Passing Grade

A passing general weighted average rating of $70BA$% with no grade below $50BA$% in any group of subjects.

Reexamination Rule for Conditioned Applicants

An applicant obtaining below $50BA$% in a subject must retake that subject until achieving an average grade of $70BA$% or higher.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Program

Promulgated by the Board and managed by a CPE council composed of officers from the Board, Commission, and integrated association to oversee professional license renewal.

Integration of Electrical Engineering Professions

All registered electrical engineering professionals are required to be integrated into one national organization recognized by the Board.

PEE Field of Practice

Includes the sole authority to seal electrical plans, designs, and specifications, and to practice electrical engineering in its full scope.

Registered Master Electrician Field Limit

Covers installation, wiring, operation, maintenance, and repair, but work rated in excess of $500\,kVA$ or $600\,V$ must be supervised by a PEE or REE.

Installation Complement Exemption Threshold

Personnel requirements do not apply to installations with a connected load of $50\,kVA$ or less and voltages not exceeding $250\,V$, or fully automatic installations requiring no resident personnel.

Certificate of Specialty

Issued by the Board to professional electrical engineers screened and recommended by the integrated association for specialized knowledge and demonstrated competence.

Foreign Reciprocity

No foreign engineer is admitted to board exams or given registration unless their home country permits Filipino engineers to practice on the same basis.

Penalty Clause of RA 7920

Violators are guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine between $\text{P}10,000.00$ and $\text{P}50,000.00$, or imprisonment from six ($6$) months to five ($5$) years, or both.