Lawyer John Titus Vistal, provincial planning and development coordinator of the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) placed 5th in the Environmental Planner Licensure Examination of the Professional Regulation Commission.
Exams were simultaneously held last June 8-9, 2016 in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Legaspi and other major cities in the Philippines.
Vistal and Jovencia Ganub (of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office) are the first-ever licensed environmental planners of the PGBh.
Bohol is reaping a golden harvest of licensed environmental planners this year, with 23 Boholanos passing the exam (including Vistal and Ganub), mostly consisting of municipal planning and development coordinators throughout the province.
Among the top 10 with Boholano roots are Maria Teresa Alambra, 2nd placer and Mariolito Bonggot, 9th placer, both of whom are working at the Region 7 office of the National Economic Development Authority in Cebu City.
Under R.A. 10587, or the Environmental Planning Act of 2013, new appointees to head planning positions in government agencies starting in 2018 are required to be licensed environmental planners.
In addition, subdivision development project plans and other plans are now required to be reviewed and signed by licensed environmental planners.