POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN and the BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN
PUP Engineering and Architecture Building, NDC Compound,
Anonas cor. Pureza Sts., Sta. Mesa, Manila
Tel: (632) 713 9304

QUINTANA, KYLA S.
2018-03439-MN-0
Professional Practice and Ethics

Activity 4: 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. Is there a need to amend or repeal RA 103502. Justify
your answer and cite your source.
• Is there a need to amend or repeal RA10350? Justify and cite your answer.

The Internet, and more specifically social media platforms such as tiktoks and
vloggers, has played a role in the degeneration of several cultural organizations. The
topic of do-it-yourself (DIY) tendencies that emerged during the lengthy quarantine is
discussed in an article that was published in the Manila Bulletin in the year 2020.
People frequently argue, in a manner that is meant to be derogatory toward the
profession of interior design, that "You don't need an interior designer to have your ideal
bedroom." However, individuals who perform their own work and claim to be interior
designers have not yet been penalized with a violation for using the word, even though
professionals have engaged those who are uninformed of the business and provided
corrections. This article highlights the interior designer's solution to the issue, and they
are not surprised because DIY decorating existed before individuals were quarantined;
the only difference is that those who are quarantined are on social media. This is only
one example of poor marketing of interior design as a profession in the Philippines,
which not only impacts the public's comprehension of the laws and regulations that
belong to the field but also affects the marketability of interior designers. People who
operate in their own markets on the pretense that they are interior designers but who
are not qualified to do so deny licensed interior designers the opportunity to improve
their trade. Nevertheless, I am conscious of the fact that navigating the laws and
regulations that apply to social media platforms is the most challenging of all platforms,
and that there is always room for improvement. There is a common tendency to
compare the significance of the phrase "interior designer" to that of "interior decorator,"
which is not acceptable to many professionals in the field. Because of the prevalence of
do-it-yourself decorators, the term "interior decorator" has lost some of its luster in
recent years. As a result, many people have the erroneous impression that interior
designers are "merely" inept room stylists.
In PIA archive website in 2010, entitled “Stiffer penalties for hoax interior
designer pushed” discussed the RA 10350 with more strict penalties to the “pretenders”
of the profession Interior design, offenders will be required to make back tax payments
to the Philippine government, sent to prison for a term of not less than six months but
not more than three years, or both fined and imprisoned, or permanently banned from
further practice in the Philippines, depending on the discretion of the court. In my own
perspective these “stiffer” penalties are not enough to protect the Interior design
profession as they don’t have platform for currently practicing unlicensed interior
designers. This is also an issue in another career. I do think that project monitoring,
especially in social media, should be discussed and implemented. I also do think that
laws should be accommodating and accessible for people who have been taken
advantage of these hoax interior designers.

References:
• PIA Archives, 2010
http://archives.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=7310&y=2010&mo=12

• Manila Bulletin, 2020

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/10/in-a-time-of-quarantine-renovations-and-diys-do-
we-really-need-interior-designers/