Pursuant to Board Resolution No.026, dated 28 June 2004, and in view of the continuing program development efforts of the Secretariat, the additional guidelines hereto provided shall govern the implementation of the Seafarers Upgrading Program (SUP), particularly on program entitlement and processing of applications.

1. Entitlement

a) A single contribution shall entitle a seafarer to financial assistance for a training course under the SUP; and
b) Subsequent entitlements to the SUP benefit shall be allowed every three (3) payments of OWWA contribution.

2. Availment Period

a) Application for SUP may be filed within ninety (90) days from date of the seafarer's arrival in the Philippines for vacation or following the expiration of his employment contract; and

b) In cases of seafarers who have not availed of the benefit, either for the first or subsequent time, but have three (3) or more OWWA contributions, they shall be allowed to avail of the SUP benefit even after the expiration of their last recorded OWWA membership, provided that entitlement shall be availed within five (5) years from his last employment as a seafarer.

3. Venue for Application and Processing

SUP benefit may be filed and approved at any OWWA Regional Office depending on the availability of the course and/or convenience of the seafarer.

a) The OWWA Regional Office, where a seafarer claims the benefit, shall accept and process the SUP application regardless of the regional origin of the seafarer; and

b) Processing of applications for SUP courses availed at the National Maritime Polytechnic in Tacloban City shall be the responsibility of the Regional Office where the seafarer filed his SUP application.

4. Updating of Courses

SUP course offerings shall be updated annually upon consultation with maritime industry and concerned institutions to ensure relevance to international maritime requirements.

5. Effectivity

This Memorandum of Instructions (MOI) shall take effect immediately, and shall cover applications received from the time entitlement clarifications were required in connection with the issuance of the Omnibus Policies and subsequent SUP implementation in March 2004.

Provisions of MOI No.001, Series of 2004 which are inconsistent with this MOI are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

(SGD.) VIRGILIO R. ANGELO
Administrator