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(NAR) VOL. 29 NO. 2/ APRIL - JUNE 18

[ MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 06, S. 2018, May 02, 2018 ]

NEW PROCEDURE FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION OF SEAFARERS AND SEABASED E-CONTRACTS SYSTEM (SBECS)



Date Filed: 02 May 2018

Pursuant  to  the  thrust  of  the  Administration  to  streamline  procedures  and improve transparency around documentation processes for Filipino Seafarers, the new e-Registration and SBECS for agency-hired seafarers shall be implemented in accordance with the following guidelines:

I.    Coverage and Service Description
1.  All   Licensed   Manning   Agencies   (LMAs)   requesting   for   contract processing and documentation of their hired seafarers shall use the new SBECS.

The SBECS, as a replacement of e-Sub, is a secured web-based facility developed for active LMAs to submit online 24/7 their request for processing (RFP), pay online the POEA processing and OWWA membership fees, submit online the seafarer’s contract and print the electronic Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) of the seafarers in the comfort of the agency's office.
2.   All agency-hired seafarers
 
The new e-Registration System shall provide the seafarers with a new unique registration number that will link his profile to the SBECS. In requesting for processing of the seafarer’s contract; the agency will just key-in the registration number of seafarers in the SBECS and the required information of seafarer will automatically be displayed, thereby reducing the encoding to be done by agencies. In return, the seafarers will be informed on the status of their contract processing, view and print their contracts information and receive notifications from POEA through their MyPOEA Dashboard that is inside the e-Registration System.

Starting 01 May 2018, the new SBECS will no longer accept the old Seafarer Registration Certificate (SRC) and Registration Numbers of Seafarers. As such, all seafarers hired by manning agencies are required to  sign  up  again  and  update  their  profile  in  the  new  e-Registration System which can be accessed at  www.poea.gov.ph under POEA Online Services at URL https://eservices.poea.gov.ph. The manual and frequently asked questions (FAQs) may also be viewed and down loaded from this site.
II.    Requirements in Availing of the SBECS by Manning Agencies

1.   Submission of Request. The SBECS, being a web-based system, does not require installation. For enrollment to this system, the agency shall submit to the POEA ICT Branch the Request for Enrollment and Availment of POEA e-Services (REAPS) indicating the complete name and email address of their authorized users (please see the attached form). The agency can request for a maximum of three (3) users only.

2.   Enrollment to LBP’s e-Payment System. The agency shall open an account with the Landbank of the Philippines (LBP), the payment service gateway  authorized by  POEA  and  OWWA,  to  receive  payments for POEA processing fee and OWWA membership fee from agencies enrolled in the SBECS.

The requirements for enrollment in the LBP’s e-Payment System (ePS) are as follows:
a.    Letter of introduction (Forms are available at the POEA ICT Branch)
b.    LBP Peso Deposit Account where payments of the agency shall be credited
c.    Accomplished LBP ePayment Payor Enrollment Form
Should the LMAs have concern in opening the LBP’s e-Payment System, they may coordinate with the concerned branch manager of the LBP.

The LMA shall submit a copy of the LBP-certified Letter of Introduction to the POEA ICT Branch after enrolling in the LBP ePS.

3.   Hardware  Requirements.  The   agency   shall   assign   a   dedicated computer   per   authorized  user   with   dedicated   or   stable   Internet connection and updated web browser, preferably Google Chrome to access the system.
 
4. Agency User Training. At least one authorized user per agency shall be required to attend the SBECS Users Training per Advisory 16, series of 2017 and 2018.

III.  SBECS Processing Procedure

1.   Enrollment of Agency Users and Computers
1.1  The agency shall submit the REAPS to the POEA ICT Branch.

1.2  If  the  SBECS  requirements  mentioned  above  are  met  by  the agency, the POEA ICT Branch shall enroll the user credentials in the system. Authorized users shall receive their username and system link through the email address indicated in the agency REAPS.

1.3  The user shall ensure to open the system link and set his password in the computer assigned to him by the agency. This activity will fingerprint the machine and authenticate the user at the same time. Once authenticated by the system, the machine can only recognize the username and password supplied by the authorized user.

1.4  If the user cannot see or access the SBECS link in the Inbox Folder, the user should check if the email from POEA e-Services was incorrectly classified as junk in his Spam Folder. If found, drag it back to the Inbox Folder and mark it as not Spam. Then click the SBECS’ link. If the link cannot be opened, copy the link in the Google Chrome’s address bar and then press Enter. Again, be sure that it will be done by the user in the computer assigned to SBECS.
1.5 If successfully enrolled, the user can view and access the e- Contract’s dashboard containing the following:
SBECS Services where user can do the following: Request for Processing, View Status of RFP such as for uploading of contract, for printing of electronic OEC, for payment of RFP or for evaluation of RFP and Request for Amendment.

a.  MyPOEA Services where user can view, down load and print the following: POEA announcements related to e-Contract’s use, notifications on the status of transactions made, accreditation data (principals, vessels, crew order, processed contracts and deployed seafarers) and customized reports.
2.   Request for Processing of Seafarers

2.1  Log in to the System. Make sure to key-in the correct username and password as the system will be locked in case of five wrong consecutive login attempts. The unlocking of user account shall be requested to the POEA ICT Branch

2.2  Select RFP Menu to display the SBECS page. There are five steps to complete the RFP process: Select Principal; Select Vessel; Select Crew Order Position; Create Contract; and, Assess and Pay the RFP

a.  Select Principal, Vessel and Crew Position. Select principal from the list to display its enrolled vessels and then select the vessel to display all approved crew positions and salaries. Only valid principal accreditation, vessel enrollment and approved crew orders shall be displayed real-time by the system

b.  Create Contract. The system will prompt the user to key-in the Registration number and name of the seafarer. The system will read from the e-Registration system and if found, will display the required RFP information (Seafarer’s name, birthday, gender, civil status, address, Seafarers’ Identification and Record Book or SIRB and dependents) together with the selected principal name, vessel details, position and salaries. The remaining fields, such as the insurance provider, insurance duration, CBA and contract duration, will just be selected from the dropdown list to save and submit the RFP. Once submitted, the system will display the Assessment of fees and Payment page. If not submitted, the RFP transaction will be nullified and cancelled.

The system disallows submission of new RFP if the seafarer has decided to transfer to a new agency but still with valid OEC and/or employment contract from his/her former agency. The seafarer shall request his/her former agency to cancel his/her employment contract pursuant to Section 112 Part III Rule 3 of the 2016 POEA Rules and Regulations and Memorandum Circular No. 4 Series of 2017.

Special Concerns: Fisher and Watch listed Crew

Request for processing like fishers and crew under the POEA Watch list will require evaluation. As such, this type of RFP will be redirected to “For Evaluation”, instead of displaying the Assessment and Payment page. After creating the contract, the agency will go to View Status of RFP Menu to print the RFP form that will be generated by the system.

In case the seafarer is included in the list of workers with derogatory record, the system will automatically alert the LMA that the seafarer’s name is watchlisted. The LMA shall first seek clearance from the POEA Legal Research, Docket and Enforcement Division.

The printed RFP Form together with the following requirements will be submitted to the Seabased Center.

Documentary requirements:
•   Transmittal Letter from the Agency
•   Printed RFP
•   Clearance from Legal Research, Docket Enforcement Division (for Watch listed Crew)
•   Individual Insurance of the crew (for Fisher)
•   4 copies Employment Contract (Covering Contract and Full Contract)
•   SIRB(Seafarer’s Book)
•   Monitoring Sheet
The evaluator, upon receipt of these documents, will log in to the Evaluator’s SBECS Account to view the evaluation details.
 • If the request is for approval, the evaluator will select “Approved” from the dropdown status. In return, the status of RFP that will be viewed by agency will be “For Payment”.

• If there are findings in the submitted RFP, the evaluator will select the status as “For Compliance” or “Denial” and will indicate the reason in the Remarks Portion. The said status and remarks will be viewed by the agency in the View the Status Menu of RFP.
All approved evaluation will trigger the status of “For Payment”. On click, it will display the assessed fees that will be paid by the agency. (Refer to Section 2.c)

c.  Assessment of Fees

The  system  interfaces  with  OWWA  Membership  to  check whether the seafarer has valid OWWA membership. If valid, the system will only display the POEA Processing fee. If OWWA is no   longer   valid,   the   assessed  fee   will   include   OWWA Membership fee.

The system will generate the following fees:

POEA processing fee

Amoun t

• Engaged

Php 200. 00

• Re-engaged

Php 100. 00

• PRV

Php 100. 00

• Cadet

Php 100. 00

O WW A M e m bership (valid for 2 years)

US$25 . 00

LB P Transaction Fee

TBA



If the agency has question on the assessed fees, the agency can click the “Cancel Button” to cancel the submitted RFP and verify first the fees with POEA Seabased Center or ICT Branch if the concern is processing fee, or with OWWA for OWWA membership fee.

c.  Payment of Fees. Click the “Pay Button” to pay the assessed fees, then select the payment option as either LBP’s e-Payment or use the Pre-Purchased OEC
•   If  LBP’s  e-Payment is  selected, the  system  will  debit  the assessed fees in the agency’s enrolled LBP account.

If Payment is successful, i.e., LBP has approved and confirmed the payment for the submitted RFP, the status of RFP will be changed to “Uploading of Contracts”, and after uploading of contracts to “For Printing of electronic OEC status. Please refer to Section 2.2.e-f for the details.
 
•   If Pre-Purchased OEC is selected, the agency will enter its pre-assigned OEC number in the system, pay OWWA fees at any OWWA cashiers and then upload the contract. If not paid, the process will not proceed and will not be reflected in the verification system of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
d. Uploading of Contracts. This status signals that the RFP payment has been successful. The agency cannot print the electronic OEC or encode the pre-numbered OEC unless the agency uploads the seafarer’s contract after payment. Agency will scan and save the approved employment contracts (EC) of seafarers in their computer, then will click the “Upload Contracts” to upload the scanned copy of the contract. Once successfully uploaded, the status of RFP will be “For Printing of OEC”.

e.  Printing of Electronic OEC. This will be displayed once the seafarer’s contract is successfully uploaded. Click this status to display the electronic OEC (please see the attached sample OEC). Save and down load the OEC then print.

Note. The RFP status, particularly the “For Printing of OECs”, can  be  viewed  by  the  Seafarers  in  his/her  e-Registration account.

3.   Amendment of Contracts

The agency will select this module to request for the following:

a.    Request for editing of submitted RFPs. The user will select the RFP to be amended to display the contract details of seafarers. The user can only click and change the allowed fields in the RFP, such as the flag of registry, vessel, principal and salaries, if the accreditation data has already been approved and encoded. All amended contracts will trigger the status of “For Payment”.

b.    Request for Onboard Processing

Straight On line

The LMAs with LBP e-Payment access may select the RFP to be amended to display and edit the contract details of seafarers such as and limited only to Flag of Registry, Change Name of Vessel, Renaming and Change of Address of Principal and Classification Society, then click “Submit” button for payment of corresponding fee then uploading of contract.

For  those  not  yet  enrolled  to  LBP  e-Payment  will  submit  their request to Seabased Center for evaluation and approval.

Manual Processing
 
Other request for Onboard processing not mentioned above shall be submitted to the Seabased Center for evaluation and approval and payment of corresponding fees.

4.   MyPOEA. This menu allows the agency to view, down load and print the POEA announcements related to e-Contract’s use, notifications on the status of transactions made, all accreditation data (principals, vessels, crew order and processed contracts) and generate customized reports.

Agencies can view anytime the status of their RFPs, the list of their accredited principals, vessels, crew orders, processed contracts, deployed contracts, and the list of their documented seafarers. Agency executives and users can also receive real-time notifications and generate frequently requested reports from the system. Aside from RFP status, agencies can also receive notifications on the status of agency license, such as renewal of license and inspection report.

IV.  Technical and Operational Concerns

On concerns and problems encountered, the agencies and seafarers may contact the following POEA offices:

1.  ICT Branch at Telephone Numbers 7277778 and 7219496 for technical problems or concerns in using the SBECS and e-Registration Systems for Seafarers. The agencies will also receive a Help Desk link where they can submit feed backs, queries and problems in using the systems.

2. Seabased  Employment Accreditation and  Processing Center  at Telephone Numbers 722-1186 and 722-1143 for concerns on documentation procedures of seafarers, e.g., manual processing and payment in case the system is down.

3.   Agencies may also down load the User’s Manual on SBECS detailing the above cited procedures from their SBECS Dashboard.

V.   Effectivity Clause

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect on 01 May 2018. Agencies that failed to register in the new SBECS on or before this date will be reverted to regular counter processing until they are enrolled in the new system.

For compliance.

(SGD) BERNARDO P. OLALIA
Administrator
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