MANILA, Philippines — Massage therapists who have been practicing for at least five years can now be accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) even without a high school diploma as long as they meet other requirements.

Josephine Hipolito, head of the secretariat of the DoH Committee of Examiners for Massage Therapy (CEMT), said, “We suspended the High school requirement to give a chance to those who are practicing massage therapy for five years but were not able to take or finish high school. They will be given a chance.”

In 2010, the DoH released Administrative Order 2010-0034 creating CEMT to ensure “that only qualified individuals enter the regulated profession.”

Apart from formal training from DoH-accredited institutions and passing the licensure exam given every June and December, the CEMT has made high school diploma a minimum requirement for massage therapists nationwide.

But the DoH has suspended the diploma requirement for one year to give chance to therapists who do not meet the educational requirement to fulfill a different set of requirements needed prior to taking the licensure exam.