Further to our MC NO. 32 (Series of 1989), guidelines on the aforecited subject shall be accordingly modified in the light of the present economy measures being implemented by the national government as enunciated in Executive Order Nos. 418 and 432 and POEA Memorandum dated 27 May 1991.

1. Processing Days and time - In order not to jeopardize the urgent dispatch and replacement of the Filipino seafarers on week-ends and holidays, processing days shall still be on Saturdays and holidays except Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

However, to conserve energy, processing time shall only be from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. All requests for processing shall be received up to 10:00 am and releasing of processed documents and corresponding OECs shall be up to 12:00 pm only.

2. Payment of required Fees - Processing Fee of Two Hundred Fifty Pesos (P250.00) and the corresponding welfare fund contribution shall be paid immediately on the following working day.

3. Requirements for Week-end and Holiday Processing - Agencies and companies shall submit to the Employment Contracts Processing Branch (ECPB) the following documentary requirements:

3.a. Undertaking to the effect that :

3.a.1 The foreign principal is duly credited and the vessel is accordingly enrolled to them and the salary scale applied has been duly approved;

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

3.a.3. Seafarer/s is/are to leave within Saturday, Sunday and morning of Monday or that particular holiday;

3.a.4. Copy/ies of the issued tickets and the 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 working day;

3.a.5. Any misrepresentation committed by them shall be penalized by suspension of license after due investigation in accordance with the POEA Rules and Regulations.

3.b Crew Order or Letter-Request for Processing (whichever is applicable)

3.c One Page Contract for Seafarers (2 copies)

3d. Valid Seaman's Service Record Book (SSRB)

3.e Valid Seaman's Registration Card (SRC)

3.f Seafarer's Info Sheet

4. Personnel Services - A team or a one-man team in extreme cases, drawn from the Employment Contracts Processing Branch shall be assigned to handle the week-end and holiday processing that shall likewise prepare the report/s on the processed seafarers for a particular processing date.

5. Monitoring of Deployment - Report/s of processed seafarers during week-ends and holidays shall be submitted by the team for monitoring in coordination with the Labor Assistance Center (LAC).

Licensed agencies and companies found to have unreasonably availed of the facility of week-end and holiday processing contrary to its essence shall be disqualified from future and availment of same.

This Order takes effect immediately.

Adopted: 16 July 1991

(Sgd.) JOSE N. SARMIENTO
Administrator