Legal Frameworks in Engineering Practice: Assessing the Awareness and Compliance of Engineering Professionals in the Philippines

Engineering practice in the Philippines is governed by various laws, codes, and regulations intended to ensure public safety, ethical conduct, and professional accountability. This study assessed the level of awareness of engineering laws and the degree of compliance with legal provisions among engineering professionals in the Philippines. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving 46 licensed engineers from different engineering disciplines and employment sectors. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring awareness of engineering-related laws and compliance with legal requirements in professional practice. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used to summarize the respondents’ awareness and compliance levels, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was applied to determine the relationship between the two variables. Results revealed that respondents generally demonstrated high compliance with legal provisions, particularly in documentation, safety implementation, and adherence to professional codes. However, relatively lower compliance was observed in areas related to procurement procedures, environmental protection measures, and intellectual property rights. The correlation analysis showed a very strong and statistically significant positive relationship between awareness of engineering laws and compliance with legal provisions (r = .955, p < .001), indicating that increased legal awareness is closely associated with higher levels of compliance. The findings highlight the importance of continuous legal education, regular professional development activities, and stronger institutional support to enhance legal awareness and sustain lawful engineering practice in the Philippines.