QuestionsQuestions (POEA MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 021 s. 1993)
It aims to rationalize the checking and control of Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) Certificate of Attendance at international airports, by adjusting how the Labor Assistance Center (LAC) verifies PDOS compliance.
Overseas contract workers (OCWs) departing for the first time or those leaving under a new contract must present the document.
The PDOS certificate is a personal document of the OCW; therefore, the LAC shall no longer collect it. Instead, the LAC will validate and return it along with other travel documents upon inspection.
It remains the OCW’s personal document and must be returned to the worker together with the other travel documents after inspection and validation.
It is valid for a period of five (5) years.
The circular provides that it is valid for five years provided that the OCW returns to the same employer, country, or region.
The certificate serves as proof of PDOS compliance should the same worker obtain a new contract of employment during its validity.
The OCW should present the certificate during airport processing if departing for the first time or under a new contract, and later as proof if obtaining a new contract within the certificate’s five-year validity.
The LAC is responsible for checking and controlling PDOS certificate compliance by validating the certificate and returning it after inspection, rather than collecting it.
It supports reducing unnecessary custody of the document by the LAC, emphasizing OCW ownership and minimizing disruption to the worker’s travel and records while still ensuring compliance through validation.
No. The circular focuses on validation and proof of compliance using the existing certificate within its five-year validity, subject to the condition about returning to the same employer, country, or region.
It implies that the PDOS certificate need only be presented when the OCW departs for the first time or under a new contract; for later contracts within the certificate’s validity (subject to same employer/country/region), the certificate can be used as proof of PDOS compliance.
It means the OCW’s next employment arrangement should relate to the same employer and/or the same destination country or region; otherwise, validity for PDOS compliance may not apply under the circular’s stated condition.
It states that the order shall take effect immediately.
It identifies the official issuance and authority (signed by Felicisimo O. Joson, Administrator) and helps confirm the circular’s validity and date for compliance and guidance purposes.
The circular conditions validity on returning to the same employer, country, or region. If the employer differs, that would likely affect whether the existing certificate can be treated as valid proof under the stated condition.