Role of real estate organizations in career progression and specialization: Perspective from within an Organization
A Contribution to the Forum on Career Progression and Qualifications Framework for Real Estate Professionals
Trinity University of Asia, December 9, 2020
Augusto B. Agosto
PAREB Secretary General
Director-in-charge, Committee on Education and Information
Good afternoon, distinguished guests, professors, students, ladies and gentlemen.
I am grateful to the organizers of this forum for inviting me to share my perspective on Career progression, specialization and qualification framework. The topic is timely and full of relevance. Let me first discuss the general view on CPS and PQF, then I will trace the history of the role of organizations in professional growth; the significance of Real Estate Service Act; and what should we do to contribute in furtherance of the profession.
As part of an organization, professional growth is not only academic, but work experience and career goals. It also include organizational goals where we share goals and roadmaps for the betterment of the members and community as well.
As defined in the real estate service act, real estate practitioners includes real estate brokers, appraisers, consultants and salespersons. Each of them have different scope of work and responsibilities to their clients and communities. All of them are in the ambit of the Philippine Qualification Framework or Philippine Qualification Framework.
With the entry of PQF and Career Progression and Specialization, real estate professionals have now the roadmap towards excellence and specialization in their chosen career. There are different path to follow, either to generalize or to specialize. To explore local and overseas opportunities.
However, in real estate, organizations played an important role in nurturing and raising the level of their professional career and specialization. In tracing the history of real estate, our profession existed as far as the year 1920s. The first recorded fulltime real estate practitioner was the enthusiast and young American, Colin Hoskins. He introduces not only new methods and theories in real estate, but also help in founding the first real estate organization, the Manila Realty Board. Through the representation of these organization, Commerce Administrative Order No. 3-6 was promulgated on July 29 1939 by the Bureau of Commerce which requires licensing to practice in real estate and contributed in the reconstruction of war-savaged Metro Manila.
This organization also help in forming the first and largest national real estate organization in our country, the Philippine Association of Real Estate Board, and with the help of young and energetic Antonio Varias, Jose Araneta, Federico Calero, Jose Felix, Rosendo Subido, J. Perez Tagle and Tomas de Vera and others. They were the first advocates of professionalization in real estate practice. It conducted real estate education and licensing of practitioners in different provinces as sine qua nun for establishing local organizations. They also conduct training for real estate appraiser, as an specialized designation within the profession. In essence, this was the first career specialization in real estate. After which, the real estate consultant.
To sum-up, these organization of practitioners contributes in crafting laws that helped in elevating the profession to a new and higher level. These includes the requirement of license prior to practice, which essentially a recognition of real estate brokerage as a trade; recognition of real estate appraisers, as an specialized designation in brokerage practice; requirement of examination before issuance of license; and recognition of organizations that will help in uniting the practitioners.
On June 29, 2009, Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9646, or the Real Estate Service Act of the Philippines, more commonly referred to as RESA, was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to professionalize and regulate the practice of real estate in the country. A significant milestone for the real estate practitioners.
Let me discuss some of its significant provisions.
Relevance of RESA
The relevance of the enactment of RESA is the professionalization of real estate practice. Now, the profession is far from being a trade. To be qualified and be accepted in the profession, one has to complete the Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Management (BSREM) before admission in the licensure board examination, and all real estate professionals should be members in an integrated professional organization or AIPO.
BSREM came in the right time, it’s not just a barrier to entry but a mechanism to ensure a higher level of professionalization. Being one of the component of RESA, it signals the future of real estate-professionals and young. In the near future, we can have brokers, appraisers and consultants at the age of 20s. Since the graduation of first bsrem batch in 2016, we will now have a new and young batch of real estate consultants in 2022.
However, looking at the curriculum of bsrem and even the board examination, there is no topic on the history of real estate practice in the country. As what I discussed earlier, we have rich experience in real estate practice and abundant lessons that will help us in facing the present and future challenges. I am urging CHED, to revisit Bsrem curriculum and include the history of real estate practice in our country. The glorious 98 years practice of real estate in the country.
In the pioneering period of BSREM, we can notice the role of different organization such as QCRB in Trinity University of Asia, CLRB in the Lyceum of Alabang, CEREB in University of San Jose Recoletos and many more. Local organizations contributes faculty lecturer in developing the future real estate professionals, by providing not only theoretical knowledge but also actual experiences and linked the profession to academe. In return, the spiraling growth of the body of knowledge to a new and higher level.
As I already presented, organizations played an important role in career progression and specialization. Thus, resolving the deadlock in the formation of the integrated professional organization should be prioritized. However, challenges in process of integration is being muddled with different issues among personalities in the profession. What our leaders need is to look back in our long history of practicing the profession to draw lessons and strength. As we fondly say, “Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan”.
The importance of the Accredited and Integrated Professional Organization into one is important to assist the regulator in the implementation of its task in the profession. However, the process of integration is being muddled with various problems. Instead of imposing a ready-made organization, our regulators should help existing organizations to thrive and fulfill its role to the practitioner. An organization should come from the professionals and for professionals.
There are problems besetting the profession. The prevalence of colorums; limited opportunities for the appraisers and consultants due to inexistence of clear laws that will require the hiring of the profession. Instead of providing active solutions on these problems, our regulators are proposing a roadmap in CPS, let me specify some of its part:
Some points on PRC/PRBRES and TESDA CPS
- Creation of different specialization among the 3 discipline in the profession. The designated “specialization” is not only confusing but will kill existing organizations. Respect the existence of organizations and help them to progress
- Putting a tag of “profession” on the three (3) discipline will confuse the public and practitioners but also violate the existing laws such as the real estate service act. Progression should not contravene with existing laws such as RESA and should be intrinsic rather than extrinsic.
- Career path complexities by highlighting the requirement of masteral and doctoral rather than providing options through academic and practice in raising to higher level.
- On TESDA. With the help of PAREB, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has promulgated a new training regulations for real estate salespersons. It aims to professionalize the ranks of real estate salespersons, and protect the public in real estate transactions, eliminate or discourage illegal practitioners, enhance government revenue and address the shortage of qualified salespersons in real estate practice. The scope of work of this training for real estate salespersons involves sales and marketing, documentation, loans processing, and property and management functions.
Since RESA requires the state to develop and nurture a corps of technically competent, responsible and respected professional real estate service practitioners whose standards of practice and service shall be globally competitive and will promote the growth of the real estate industry. Thus, we are urging CHED, TESDA, and other regulators that this training regulation should be integrated in the Philippine Qualification Framework and Career Progression.
Pathway to the future
Career progression, is not only the process of levelling up our professional career, but finding new challenges and opportunities and getting most of our career
What we have learned from the history and the present challenges of the profession, will help us draw roadmap in facing the future for every practitioners. Organizations have played, and will continuously play an important role in career progression and specialization..
History teaches us that organizations form part of the career progression of professionals and practitioners, it will also provide great contribution in the career progression and specialization under the auspices of Philippine Qualification Framework.
In conclusion, allow me to quote Robin Sharma, the monk who sold his Ferrari. He said that “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.”
Maayong hapon sa tanan.
Real LexEcon 