To:     Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Regional Directors
Directors of Services, Centers and Heads of Units
Schools Division Superintendents
School-Based Personnel
All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) hereby issues this Order to clarify the process and simplify documentary requirements for travel authority requests for official travel abroad.  Requesting officials/personnel should be guided on the following:
   1. All travel authority requests for official travel abroad are covered by these protocols;
   2. All personnel are encouraged to start processing requests as early as possible;
   3. DepEd offices must act on requests immediately to avoid any delays;
   4. DepEd offices managing international programs and other opportunities abroad must integrate these protocols and its requirements in their respective processes;
   5. Partner organizations are likewise requested to observe these protocols in their respective program timelines; and
   6. Personnel are discouraged from booking flights before securing an approved travel authority unless absolutely necessary.
2.  Process Flows
   1. Process Flow for Field Personnel
      1. All travel authorities must be signed by the Secretary and released by the Central Office (CO) at least ten days before the departure date. To ensure this, requesting officials/personnel must refer to Diagram 1 to guide them on the minimum number of days required for processing at each level.Diagram 1: Minimum Number of Days Required for Processing for Field Personnel
      2. Depending on the employee’s level (school/SDO/RO/CO), all documentary requirements must be submitted to the respective office at least five days before the minimum number of days specified in Diagram 1 to give offices enough time to process documents.
      3. Requests that violate this process flow at any level shall be automatically rejected. Requesting personnel are encouraged to start processing requests and submit their complete documents as early as possible. All concerned offices must process and release travel authority requests immediately.
      4. Once cleared and approved by the Regional Office, all requests for the approval of the Secretary shall be submitted to the Personnel Division in CO. These requests shall then be cleared by the Office of the Undersecretary for Regional Operations before final approval by the Secretary. Once approved, the Records Division shall release the travel authority immediately.
   2. Process Flow for Central Office Personnel
      1. All travel authorities must be signed by the Secretary and released by CO at least ten days before the departure date. To ensure this, requesting officials/personnel at the CO must refer to Diagram 2 to guide them on the minimum number of days required for processing for each office. Diagram 2: Minimum Number of Days Required for Processing and Document Release for Central Office
      2. Requests that violate this process flow shall be automatically rejected. Requesting personnel are encouraged to start processing requests and submit their documents as early as possible. All concerned offices must process and release travel authority requests immediately.
      3. Once cleared and approved by the employee’s head of office, all requests for the approval of the Secretary shall be submitted to the Personnel Division in CO. These requests shall then be cleared by the office of the respective Undersecretary/Assistant Secretary before final approval by the Secretary. Once approved, the Records Division shall release the travel authority immediately.
3. Request Forms and Documentary Requirements To simplify documentary requirements, this Department has integrated all endorsements and clearances across all levels into a one-page form.  The following are the guidelines on the use of the request form:
   1. Request Form A shall be used by field personnel and Request Form B shall be used by CO personnel (attached to this memorandum).
   2. Supporting documents such as official invitations, travel descriptions, program details, etc. need not be submitted to the Personnel Division in CO. The approval of the Regional Director for field personnel and the respective head of office for CO personnel shall certify the relevance and authenticity of the travel.
4. Implementation All requests for travel authority abroad received by the Personnel Division in CO from October 20, 2014 onwards must follow these protocols and use the new request form. Any request that does not follow the protocols stated in this Order shall be rejected automatically and returned with no action. Offices that cause the delay in processing travel authority requests shall be dealt with accordingly.
5. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

BR. ARMIN A. LUISTRO FSC
Secretary

Reference:
DepEd Order:  No. 14, s. 2010

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:

EMPLOYEES
OFFICIALS
POLICY
REQUIREMENTS
TRAVEL

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