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In the interest of the service and pursuant to DOLE Department Order No. 67-04 Series of 2004, on the system of certification of Overseas Performing Artists (OPA), the following guidelines are hereby issued:

I.     Issuance of Artist Accreditation Card

General Policies

1. Artist Accreditation Card.  The Artist Record Book (ARB) shall be replaced by the Artist Accreditation Card (AAC).

2. The AAC shall be used in securing an entry permit, as may be required by the host country.

3. Issuance of AAC.  The AAC shall be issued to an individual or group of artists who passed the auditions in singing or dancing.  Only OPA's with valid booking confirmation shall qualify for audition.  AACs shall also be issued to Novelty Act Performers (NAP) upon presentation of Certificate of Competency in accordance with the TESDA-approved Training Regulations.

4. Testimonial Artist Accreditation Card.  The Card shall be issued to seasoned, professional and/or popular artists with outstanding track record of local or overseas performance of at least one year in major performance venues such as five star hotels, first class and well known clubs, theaters, television shows and movies.  They shall also include those who represent the country in international competitions or in a show of prestigious nature without prejudice to the submission and verification of supplemental documents to validate applicants' performer status.

5. Validity of AAC.  The Card shall be valid for ten (10) years. Expired ARBs shall be replaced with the AAC with a validity period of ten (10) years upon presentation of a valid booking confirmation.

6. Fees.  An administrative fee of Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00) shall be charged per OPA, payable upon application for AAC issuance.  In addition, the amount of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.000) shall be charged per OPA for the issuance of the Artist Accreditation Card.

7. Enrollment of users' IDs and Passwords. Under the revised computerized AAC issuance system, all accredited agencies shall be provided with new users' identification and password.

II.     Procedures for the Issuance of Artist Accreditation Card

1.  Applications for audition schedule shall be uploaded to the computerized AAC issuance system by the accredited agency.  Uploaded data shall include applicant's passport size picture (1.5 x 1.5 inches), left and right thumb marks, and accurate information on the applicants:

a. Name	f. Weight (kilos)
b. Address	g. Sex
c. Date of Birth	h. Civil Status
d. Place of Birth	i. Category
e. Height (meter)	j. Name of employer

The artist must be photographed in performance make-up, without earrings, hair pulled back, and in white background.

The accredited agency shall be solely and completely responsible for the accuracy and veracity of uploaded information.

The administrative fee shall be paid upon verification by the POEA of request and presentation of original copy of booking confirmation.

2.  Audition Scheduling. Generation of audition schedule shall be computerized and made available to respective end users through the AAC website within two days from application for audition.

3.  Cancellation of Audition Schedule.  Applicants who are unable to audition on the scheduled date shall be required to inform the POEA at least one (1) day before the scheduled audition of the cancellation.  Cancellation shall only be allowed once.

4.  Rescheduling of Audition.  Request for re-scheduling due to the applicant's failure to appear on the scheduled date of audition shall be uploaded by the accredited agency.

5.  Retake.  Request for retake of audition shall be uploaded by the accredited agency.  An applicant shall be allowed to retake audition up to three (3) times only within a period of three (3) months.  Subsequent request for retake shall only be allowed after a lapse of six (6) months from the last audition.

6.  Testimonial AAC. Application for issuance of testimonial AAC shall be submitted to the POEA, together with the following supporting documents:

a.  Duly filled up info sheet
b.  Booking Confirmation or Contract of Engagement
c.  Employment record
d.  Record/cassette covers of singers, if any
e.  Newspaper and magazine clippings/reviews of the artist's performance, if any
f.  Performance portfolio
g.  Other documents as may be required.

Applications for exemption from the minimum age requirement for issuance of testimonial AAC's shall be forwarded to the Secretary of Labor and Employment for appropriate action.

7. Renewal of AAC. Application for renewal of expired ARB/AAC shall be uploaded to the POEA with the following data:

a. Name	g. Sex
b. Address	h. Civil Status
c. Date of Birth	i. Category
d. Place of Birth	j. Passport size picture (1.5 x 1.5 inches)
e. Height (meter)	k. Right & Left thumb marks
f. Weight (kilos)	l. Name of employer

The original copies of the Booking Confirmation and expired ARB/AAC shall be presented to the POEA.

8. Replacement.  Application for replacement shall only be allowed for lost ARBs/AACs or those requiring amendments/corrections to data entries.  The same procedure / requirement in the application for renewal shall apply.  For lost ARB/AAC, the OPA shall also be required to submit a notarized Affidavit of Loss; for amendment due to change of status or erroneous name or date of birth the NSO authenticated marriage contract, birth certificate and such other appropriate documents that POEA will require.

III.     Conduct of Audition

A.   General Policies

1.  The audition shall involve the exhibition of individual performance. Showbands / musicians shall audition as a group.

2.  The private industry sector shall deploy an observer to all testing venues during the audition.  The observer is tasked to observe, record / take down notes of all the activities and proceedings during the conduct of the audition for the industry sector's file.

3.  The audition venue shall provide a place for viewing during the audition where the observer can clearly observe the audition.

4.  POEA shall monitor audition venues at random to check on compliance to policies and procedures.

B. Procedures for Audition

1.  Registration of OPAs for audition shall start at 8 am and audition shall start promptly at 10 am. Registration starts with the scanning of the thumbmarks of the OPA.  The OPA shall be automatically registered only upon confirmation of the thumbmarks.

Confirmation of the OPA's thumbmarks shall trigger the opening of the online info sheet/profile of the OPAs assigned in the venue.  The testing venue officer shall verify from the OPA the data contained in the uploaded info sheet to further confirm the database.

2.  If the thumbmarks do not match, the OPA shall not be registered and auditioned.

3.  The OPA shall start and end her performance with thumbmark confirmation at the fingerprint scanner located at the audition area.  The OPA's name and photo, as uploaded, shall also be projected in a screen in the audition area.

4.  The testing officers shall upload to the Computerized AAC Issuance system their rating of the OPA immediately after every performance.  The rating shall be viewed on the screen in the audition area for the information of the OPAs, testing venue and observers.

5.  A copy of the audition result, duly signed by the testing officer, OPA, testing venue and private industry sector observer shall be provided to all parties for record purposes, immediately after the audition.

6.  Audition venues are required to maintain a video record of all audition proceedings which shall be made available at any time upon demand by POEA.

7.  There shall be no refund of administrative fees for applicants who fail to show up on the day of the audition.

IV.     Standards for Audition

A.   General Policies

1.    Three testing officers shall be assigned per testing venue for every audition session.

2.    A rating system of pass or fail shall be adopted, in which the OPA should obtain at least two passing marks in order to pass the audition.

B.   Standards for Singers

1.  Singers shall be assessed individually through two songs.  The OPA shall submit 5 songs titles to the testing officers from which the two songs shall be selected.

2.  Criteria for passing:

 

a. Music Aptitude	d. Repertoire
b. Voice Technique	e. Stage Deportment
c. Diction

C.   Standards for Dancers

1.  Dancers shall be assessed individually through a dance production showcase which shall be for a minimum of 5 minutes.  The group shall be a minimum of two members and maximum of seven members, all of whom are auditioning. No back-up dancers shall be allowed.

2.  The dance production showcase shall contain the following elements:

a.  Content
b.  Use of space
c.  Musicality
d.  Stage presence

3.  The concept, choreography and costume shall not be graded. Dancers may wear the traditional dance rehearsal (tights, leotard and jazz shores) for contemporary and jazz and appropriate costume for cultural, ethnic, broadway and popular dance.

V.     Accreditation of Audition Centers and Testing Officers

A.   General Policies

1.  Existing TESDA-accredited testing venues and testing officers shall be recognized by POEA and shall be allowed to continue to conduct the auditions for overseas performing artists (OPAs) until POEA has come up with a new accreditation system.

2.  The POE-recognized testing venues and testing officers shall be continually evaluated based on performance and capability.

3.  POEA shall suspend or cancel the recognition /accreditation of testing venues and testing officers if the said entities do not comply with POEA regulations.

4.  The private industry sector composed of industry participants shall serve in an advisory capacity in the accreditation of testing venues and testing officers.

B.     Standards for Audition Centers

1.  The audition center shall provide a minimum space of 20 square meters for audition venues for singers and 86 square meters for dancers.  The area shall be exclusive of space for office, reception, separate dressing rooms and rest rooms for male and female OPAs.

2.  Facilities and Equipments.  The Audition Center shall maintain among others 2 fingerprint scanners, reliable internet services, CD/VCD camera, LCD projector and a minimum of 2 computers to facilitate the verification of OPAs and for immediate uploading of audition results to the POEA.

C.     Standards for Testing Officers

1.  Testing Officers shall come from the academe, professional dancers/singers and/or reputable members of the industry.

2.  Must have integrity and good moral character.

3.  A recognized musician /performer in his/her field.

VI.     Penalties

1.  The AAC shall be cancelled at any time during its validity period if found to have been secured through forgery, falsification, misrepresentation, deceit or any fraudulent means.

2.  Any fraudulent use of the AAC shall be subject to the penalties as provided for in the existing POEA rules and regulations.

All issuances inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby amended accordingly.

For strict compliance.

Adopted: 25 August 2004


(SGD.) ROSALINDA DIMAPILIS-BALDOZ
Administrator