[ POEA MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 63 S. 1992, July 13, 1992 ]

PROCESSING OF SEAFARERS EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS DURING WEEK-ENDS AND HOLIDAYS



Further to POEA Memorandum Circular No. 32 (Series of 1991) on the aforecited subject, the following guidelines shall be observed:

1. Processing Venue - In order not to jeopardize the emergency deployment and urgent replacement of the Filipino seafarers on week-ends and holidays, the Labor Assistance Center (LAC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) shall accommodate processing of these seafarers.

2. Who may avail of Processing of Seafarer's Employment Contracts During Week-ends and Holidays

2.a.
All licensed manning agencies, accredited shipping companies and seafarers concerned may avail of the facility on week-end and holiday processing of seafarer's employment contracts thru the LAC.
 
2.b.
Request/s for Processing of said nature shall be submitted to the Center three (3) hours before the expected time of departure of the seafarers concerned.

3. Requirements for Week-end and Holiday Processing - The agencies and companies shall provide the departing seafarer/s the following documentary requirements for submission to the Center:

a. Letter Request for Processing

b. Confirmed ticket together with xeroxed copies

c. One Page Contract of Seafarers (2 copies)

d. Valid Seaman's Service Record Book (SSRB)

e. Valid Seaman's Registration Card (SRC)

f.  Seafarer's Info Sheet

g. Seafarer's ID Sheet

h. Undertaking to the effect that:
h.1. The foreign principal is duly accredited and the vessel is accordingly enrolled to them and the salary scale applied has been duly approved;

h.2. The position is available and the seafarer/s whose travel documents are being submitted for processing is/are not included in the watchlist;

h.3. Seafarers is/are to leave within Saturday, Sunday and morning of Monday or that particular holiday

h.4. Proofs shall be submitted, e.g. telex-advise, on the requests for urgent dispatch of required crew received by them at a time when the agency can no longer process at Contract Processing Branch, PSO due to short notice particularly falling after office hours of the last working days of the week, on week-ends and on holidays

h.5  Copy/ies of the issued ticket/s and official receipts shall be presented to ECPB as proofs of actual deployment; and payment of processing fees and welfare fund contribution of those seafarer/s processed on week-ends and holidays immediately on the following day;

h.6. Any misrepresentation committed by them shall be penalized by suspension of license after due investigation in accordance with the POEA Rules and Regulations.
4. Payment of Required Fees - Processing Fee of Two Hundred Fifty Pesos (P250.00) and the corresponding welfare fund contributions shall be paid immediately on the following working day.

5. Coordination with Employment Contract Processing Branch, PSO, on updating of processed Seafarers at LAC on week-end and holidays.

5.a.
POEA copies of documents of LAC processed Seafarers shall be endorsed to ECPB, that will, in turn, handle the coordination on updating of job order balances, the monitoring of payment of required fees and the endorsement to Central Records Division of the processed contracts, info sheet and the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) These documents shall be accompanied by logsheet on processed seafarers and OECs issued for transmittal to the Philippine Tourism Authority.
 
5.b.
Concerned agencies/companies shall claim the original Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) from ECPB for purpose of refund of travel tax.

This order takes effect immediately.

Adopted: 13 July 1992

(SGD.) MANUEL G. IMSON
Deputy Administrator and
Officer-in-Charge