Purpose and coverage rules
- The Circular provides guidelines for counting and manifesting all persons carried on board passenger ships.
- The guidelines ensure persons on board are duly and properly recorded in the Passenger Manifest.
- The Circular covers Philippine-registered passenger ships, regardless of size, plying the domestic trade.
- The Circular applies to voyages for which a Passenger Manifest must be prepared using the prescribed format.
Core definitions for manifesting
- A Child is a person twelve (12) years old and below.
- an Adult is a person above twelve (12) years old.
- A Passenger is any person carried on board a ship except:
- the master and the members of the crew or other persons employed or engaged in any capacity on board the ship on the business of that ship;
- a person on board carried due to the obligation to carry shipwrecked, distressed or other persons by reason of force majeure; and
- a child under one (1) year of age.
- A Passenger Manifest is the list of persons counted as passengers on board a passenger ship for a particular voyage, using the prescribed format with required information.
Counting and manifesting requirements
- No passenger-carrying ship shall allow passengers on board in excess of the total number of passengers authorized for the ship.
- The total number of persons on board shall not exceed the total number of persons allowed for each ship, except for cases involving the rescue of persons from other ships under Regulation I/7(I) of the PMMRR ’97, as amended.
- All passengers on board must be manifested using the attached Passenger Manifest format with required information.
- For children under one (1) year old (though not considered as passengers), their names must be attached to the name of the accompanying adult passenger listed in the Passenger Manifest.
- For children under three (3) years of age allowed on board without charge, their names must be attached to the name of the accompanying adult passenger listed in the Passenger Manifest.
- Other children granted discounted fare must be manifested as passengers, and must be listed as children.
- If two (2) children in the same family/group share only one accommodation and are granted discounted fares, both names must be listed together as one entry in the Passenger Manifest and indicated as children.
- Persons availing of discounted fares and complimentary passes (including drivers, helpers, shippers, etc.) must be counted as passengers and listed in the Passenger Manifest, subject to the terms attached to the grant of the discount/pass.
- All persons listed in the Passenger Manifest excluding those listed as companions of passengers are entitled to accommodations and amenities due to a paying passenger, and the total number must not exceed the total authorized passenger capacity with accommodations.
- Passenger Manifest entries must be legible, and whenever possible, computer-generated.
Capacity, lifejackets, and safety compliance
- The Certificate of Inspection for passenger-carrying ships must reflect Total Authorized Passenger Capacity in two categories for headcounting where children are included despite free or discounted fare subject to sharing lying accommodations:
- With accommodations: corresponds to the total number of authorized passengers reckoned from the number of accommodations available for such ship, per approved Accommodation Plan.
- With shared/without lying accommodation: corresponds to 10% of the total number of authorized passengers entitled to lying accommodations, and includes children under one (1) year old, children under three (3) years of age without charge, and other children granted discounted fare who share the same accommodation with passengers with accommodation.
- The two-category capacity rule does not apply to ferry vessels, High Speed Crafts, and other similar ships where sitting accommodations are provided to passengers.
- An Administration-approved lifejackets must be provided for every person on board the ship.
- Lifejackets suitable for children equal to at least 10% of the total number of authorized passengers with accommodation on board must be provided.
- Additional lifejackets are required when the number of children exceeds 10% of the total number of authorized passengers on board the ship.
- Passenger ships must strictly adhere to Chapter IX of the PMMRR ’97, as amended, concerning Life-Saving Appliances.
Sanctions for manifest and equipment violations
- For insufficient number of lifejackets and life-saving appliances required to be on board a ship, the penalty is imposed per piece and compounded by operational and compliance consequences:
- 1st Violation: P1,000.00/piece plus non-operation of vessel/non extension of CPC/PA/SP until compliance.
- 2nd Violation: P2,000.00/piece plus non-operation of vessel/non extension of CPC/PA/SP until compliance.
- 3rd Violation: P4,000.00/piece plus revocation/cancellation of CPC/PA/SP.
- For carriage of passengers and/or persons exceeding the authorized total number of passengers or persons:
- For the Master/Boat Captain on ships 35 GT & below: P10,000.00 for the 1st violation; the 2nd violation results in suspension of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document, until payment of penalty; the 3rd violation results in revocation of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document.
- For the Master/Boat Captain on ships above 35 GT: P25,000.00 for the 1st violation; the 2nd violation results in suspension of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document, until payment of penalty; the 3rd violation results in revocation of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document.
- For the Shipowner/Operator: 200% of the passage rate for the entire voyage × total excess passengers for the 1st violation; the 2nd violation results in suspension of shipas CPC/ CPC/PA/SP; the 3rd violation results in revocation of shipas CPC/PA/SP.
- For absence of Passenger Manifest for a particular voyage:
- Master/Boat Captain: P10,000.00 for 1st violation; revocation consequences are imposed at higher violations: suspension of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document, until payment of penalty (2nd violation), and revocation of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document (3rd violation).
- For failure to reflect all passengers in the Passenger Manifest for a particular voyage:
- Master/Boat Captain: P2,000.00 for 1st violation; P4,000.00 + suspension of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document, until payment of penalty for 2nd violation; revocation of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document for 3rd violation.
- Shipowner/Operator: P5,000.00 for 1st violation; P10,000.00 + suspension of CPC/PA/SP until payment of penalty for 2nd violation; revocation of CPC/PA/SP for 3rd violation.
- For deviations in passenger manifesting based on the herein guidelines:
- Master/Boat Captain: P2,000.00 for 1st violation; P4,000.00 + suspension of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document, until payment of penalty for 2nd violation; revocation of SIRB and/or QDC, or other related document for 3rd violation.
- Shipowner/Operator: P5,000.00 for 1st violation; P10,000.00 + suspension of CPC/PA/SP until payment of penalty for 2nd violation; revocation of CPC/PA/SP for 3rd violation.
Repeal of inconsistent issuances
- All Memorandum Circulars, rules, and regulations, issuances inconsistent with these rules are amended or repealed accordingly.