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Pursuant to Section 10 (g), Article IV of Republic Act No. 8544 or "An Act Regulating the Practice of the Merchant Marine Profession in the Philippines" also known as the "Philippine Merchant Marine Officers Act of 1998," Resolution No. 03-11, series of 2003, of the Board of Marine Deck Officers, Resolution No. 03-10, series of 2003, of the Board of Marine Engineer Officers, Section 9 of Republic Act No. 8981 on the Powers, Functions and Responsibilities of the various Professional Regulatory Boards, and its implementing rules and regulations, the following guidelines on the inspection of maritime training centers accredited by the Maritime Training Council (MTC) for recognition by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for purposes of conducting assessment using Ship Simulator and Bridge Teamwork (SSBT) for marine deck officers, and the Engine Room Simulator (ERS) for marine engineer officers, in lieu of the practical assessment, are hereby promulgated:

ARTICLE I
DEFINITION OF TERMS

SECTION 1. Board refers to the Board of Marine Deck Officers, for the SSBT course, or the Board Marine Engineer Officers, for the ERS course.

SECTION 2. Maritime training center refers to a training institution accredited by the Maritime Training Council, seeking recognition of the Ship Simulator and Bridge Teamwork (SSBT) Course for marine deck officers, and Engine Room Simulator (ERS) Course for marine engineer officers, in lieu of the practical assessment conducted by the Board immediately after the written (theoretical) phase of the marine officers licensure examination.

SECTION 3. SSBT and ERS Courses- are International Maritime Organization (IMO) Model training courses which includes the demonstration of skills capability through an assessment.  The assessment under the 1978 STCW Convention, as amended, and the STCW Code is a mandatory requirement in the licensure process for the issuance of a license/certificate.

ARTICLE II
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR RECOGNITION

SECTION 4. Maritime training centers applying for recognition of their SSBT course and ERS Course shall be required to submit the following documents:

1.  Letter of Intent/Application signed by the President/Owner of the Training Center.
   
   
2. Photocopy of current/valid Certificate of Accreditation issued by the MTC (original copy must be presented for authentication).  Certificate of Accreditation will be permanent, not provisional.
   
   
3. Specimen signatures of the authorized signatories.  Any changes in signatories should be reported to the concerned Boards in writing within the next working day.
   
   
4. Affidavit of Undertaking signed by the President/Owner of the training center stating in substance that the training center shall:

1. Ensure the integrity and honesty of the personnel and officials involved in the conduct of the Training and Assessment and that the training center shall adhere to the fair practice in conducting maritime courses with the ultimate aim of producing highly competitive Merchant Marine Officers.
   
   
2. Set guidelines and procedures which shall ensure the integrity of the assessment.  The guidelines and procedures shall substantially abide by the same guidelines and procedures in the conduct of the assessment promulgated by the Board.
   
   
3. Strictly adhere to the schedule in the submission of the Enrollment Report to be submitted to the Board on or before the conduct of the training course, and the Completion Report to be submitted to the Board within five (5) days after the conclusion of the assessment or prior to the recognition and issuance of the training certificate.
   
   
4. Ensure that the compact disc (CD) of scenarios for the assessment shall cover at least seven (7) scenarios for management level and seven (scenarios) for operational level and shall be kept in a sealed envelope under the custody of the Board.  The assessment scenarios shall not be part of the training course/program and shall not be divulged to the trainees.
   
   
5. Attest that the recognition of the training certificates is based on the continued accreditation of the training center with the MTC and compliance with the MO standards and requirements on the subject training course and that the Certificate of Accreditation issued by the MTC to the training center is not provisional only.
   
   
6. Be amenable to unannounced and unscheduled surveillance inspections by the Board and/or PRC officials to verify compliance with the requirements and standards.
   
   
7. To fully understand and comply with the herein rules and regulations and that any violation of the undertaking shall mean an outright withdrawal of Recognition of the training center and Certificate of Training and Assessment.

SECTION 5. The applicant accredited training center must submit a list of instructors and assessors with a quarterly report on any changes.  A nil report should also be submitted if there are no changes.  The Instructors and Assessors must:

1. Qualify under Regulation l/6 of the revised STCW Convention and Section A- 1/6 of the STCW Code.
   
   
2. Have completed the IMO Model Course 6.09, while the Assessors must have completed the IMO Model Course 3.12, and all other appropriate course.
   
   
3. Be evaluated and interviewed by the Board in the assessment process.

SECTION 6. The wordings of the Certificate of Assesment for the SSBT and ERS Training Courses to be issued by the training center shall substantially conform to the wordings adopted by the Boards.

SECTION 7. The wordings of the Certificate of Assessment for SSBT and ERS shall be accepted by the Commission unless the training center has been issued a Certificate of Recognition by the Board, upon payment of the prescribed fee.  For this purpose, the Board shall conduct an ocular inspection of the training center to determine whether it has met the standards and requirements for recognition.

ARTICLE III
PRE-ASSESSMENT AND INSPECTION PROCEDURES

SECTION 8. The Board shall, upon receipt of the application and requirements for recognition, undertake a pre-assessment of the documents.  The Board shall be guided by its checklist of requirements and standards duly approved by the Board of Marine Deck Officers in Resolution No. 03-18 (A) and Resolution No. 03-39 (A) Series of 2003, and Board of Marine Engineer Officers Resolution No. 03-38 (A) Series of 2003.

SECTION 9. After the pre-assessment of documents, the Board shall immediately schedule an inspection of the training center to determine whether it has complied with the standards and requirements set by the Board for recognition.

SECTION 10. The request for approval to conduct an inspection shall be in writing and shall be submitted to the Office of the Chairperson.  The request shall indicate the following: name and address of the training center, date of inspection, purpose of the inspection, members of the inspection team, and request for the use of PRC vehicle, if needed.  For this purpose, the Board shall coordinate with the Standards and Inspection Division for the preparation of the request and the necessary Office Order.

SECTION 11. The inspection shall be conducted in accordance with the established guidelines and procedures of the Commission in the conduct of inspection by the Boards.

SECTION 12. Inspection or Monitoring Reports shall be submitted to the Commission within seven ( 7) days from the date of inspection.  The Inspection or Monitoring Reports shall be signed by the Chairman and all Members of the Board indicating the Board's findings and recommendations and the action to be undertaken by the Board.  A copy of the Inspection Report shall be transmitted by the Commission to the training center concerned.

ARTICLE IV
MONITORING/SURVEILLANCE INSPECTIONS

SECTION 13. The board may conduct unannounced or unscheduled inspections for the purpose of monitoring the training center.

ARTICLE V
STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR RECOGNITION

SECTION 14. A maritime training center applying for the recognition of the SSBT and ERS courses must qualify and comply with the standard requirements for recognition as may be determined by the Board in the following areas:

1. General Requirements (ISO, Matrix, etc.)
   
2. Assessors/Instructors Details
   
3. Assessors/Instructors Qualification
   
4. Library (IMO Publications, laws rules and regulations) and Equipment (including CCTV equipment per station)
   
5. Scenarios in accordance with Section A-II/1 and II/2 for marine deck officers and Section A-III/1 and A-III/2 for marine engineer officers
   
6. Classroom
   
7. Instructor's console
   (a)  Software
   (b)  Hardware
   
8. Physical and Behavioral Realism of Simulators
   (a)  Descriptions
   (b)  Physical Realism
   (c)  Behavioral Realism
   (d)  Operating Environment
   
9. Functionalities of the Simulators
   (a)  Competencies addressed by bridge operation, for operational level and management levels.
   (b)  Competencies addressed by engine operation, for operational and management levels.

SECTION 15. The simulator equipment for marine deck officers must be at least one (1) instructor's station and two (2) bridges, one of which must be a full mission bridge.  For marine engineer officers, the simulator equipment must be at least one (1) instructor's station and two (2) engine room work stations.

SECTION 16. The Ship Simulator and Bridge Watchkeeping equipment for marine deck officers, and the Engine Room simulator equipment for marine engineer officers, shall have a computerized evaluation/grading system, where computation is based on various parameters/criteria where candidates are to be assessed.  The grading system should be on a 1-100% basis with a passing rate of 70%.

SECTION 17. The maritime training center shall be required to put up seven (7) assessment scenarios each for the management and the operational level.  These assessment scenarios shall be in accordance with Table A-II/1 and A-II/2 for marine deck officers and Table A-III/1 and A-III/2 for marine engineer officers, showing all the Tasks, Operational Procedures, Prescribed Actions, Performance Criteria, and shall be accompanied by documents showing how these were validated.

ARTICLE VI
ISSUANCE AND RENEWAL OF CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION

SECTION 18. A Certificate of Recognition shall be issued by the Board to a maritime training center after it shall have fully complied with the requirements and standards of the Board and upon payment of the prescribed fees.  The Certificate of Recognition shall be numbered and signed by the Chairman and Members of the Board and by the Commission.

SECTION 19. The Certificate of Recognition shall be renewed every three (3) years subject to inspection by the Board and upon compliance of the requirements for renewal and payment of the prescribed renewal fee.

ARTICLE VII
INSPECTION, RENEWAL AND RECOGNITION FEES

SECTION 20. The maritime training center to be inspected by the Board shall remit the prescribed inspection fees in postal money order or manager's check payable to the PRC.

SECTION 21. The Certificate of Recognition to be issued by the Board shall be paid in the amount prescribed by the Commission.

ARTICLE VIII
WITHDRAWAL AND CANCELLATION OF THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION

SECTION 22. The Board, after due process, shall withdraw the recognition accorded to a maritime training center and order the cancellation of its Certificate of Recognition for violation of any of the standards, rules and requirements herein provided.

ARTICLE IX
EFFECTIVITY

SECTION 23. These rules and regulations shall supersede previous issuances and shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Adopted: 05 Jan. 2004

BOARD OF MARINE DECK OFFICERS
(SGD.) ERNESTO C. BONDOC
Chairman
(SGD.) CONSTANTINO L. ARCELLANA, JR.	(SGD.) JAIME C. AQUINO
Member	Member
(SGD.) DONATO P. MARFIL	(SGD.) ABELARDO M. PACHECO
Member	Member
BOARD OF MARINE ENGINEER OFFICERS
(SGD.) CHRISTOPHER P. MAAMBONG
Chairman
(SGD.) BONIFACIO N. BALINTEC	(SGD.) ISAGANI I. VALMONTE, JR
Member	Member
(SGD.) ARTURO D. CARMEN	(SGD.) JOSE G. ABUGAN
Member	Member
ATTESTED BY:
(SGD.) CARLOS G. ALMELOR
Secretary, Professional Regulatory Boards
APPROVED:
(SGD.) ANTONIETA FORTUNA-IBE
Chairperson
(SGD.) AVELINA DELA REA-TAN	(SGD.) LEONOR TRIPON-ROSERO
Commissioner	Commissioner