1. PURPOSE
   1. This notice informs FSIS inspection program personnel (IPP) that the Philippines will be included in Phase Eleven of the Public Health Information System (PHIS) export module rollout on May 19, 2025. Starting on that date, all export certificates for FSIS meat and poultry products exported to the Philippines will be generated, issued, and officially maintained in FSIS' PHIS. This change excludes certificates for casings and egg products.
   2. This notice provides instructions to IPP for reviewing country-required statements generated by the PHIS statements module for the Philippines that will be added to PHIS on May 19, 2025.
   3. This notice also instructs IPP to apply a digital signature for exports to the Philippines and provides the same instructions issued previously in other PHIS export module phases for ordering the seven-digit export stamps. These instructions supplement the instructions in FSIS Directive 13000.5, Public Health Information System Export Certification, and FSIS Directive 9000.1, Export Certification.
2. BACKGROUND
   1. The complete list of all countries active in the PHIS export module is available in the export section of the PHIS Components page of the FSIS website.
   2. On July 9, 2021, FSIS implemented an enhanced digital signature for IPP when approving export applications and issuing export certificates for countries that accept a digital signature. These instructions replace the instructions in FSIS Directive 13000.5 to apply a digital signature with a LincPass. After IPP review and approve the certificate package, PHIS will automatically apply the enhanced digital signature to all pages and upload a PDF of the signed export documents into the export task.
   3. The FSIS Export Library listing for the Philippines will be updated to reflect the transition from using letterhead certificates to using country-required statements via the PHIS statements module. The PHIS statements module will replace the current use of letterhead certificates for meat and poultry exports to the Philippines that are processed in PHIS. Export applicants will no longer complete or attach any letterhead certificate for export applications for the Philippines on or after May 19, 2025. The PHIS statements module will also be used to generate other statements that are not part of a letterhead certificate but are required as indicated in the FSIS Export Library listing for the Philippines. All attestations and information as described in the FSIS Export Library for the Philippines will be captured in the Remarks section of the FSIS Form 9060-5 or on the FSIS Form 9060-5B (continuation sheet). These statements cannot be edited or altered except when required to enter data, such as an ineligible U.S. state, cooking time, cooking temperature, or other information that may vary depending on the importing country's requirements for a particular product. The statements used in the PHIS statements module are the exact statements as required in the FSIS Export Library for the importing country. Links to any existing letterhead certificates will remain in the FSIS Export Library for the Philippines until the country is added to PHIS on May 19, 2025, after which the links will no longer be available and will reflect that the required statements to be used by the export applicant occur via the PHIS statements module.
3. AWARENESS MEETING WITH ESTABLISHMENT MANAGEMENT
   Immediately upon receipt of this notice, the inspector-in-charge (IIC) at facilities that export to the Philippines is to have a meeting with establishment management to make them aware of the contents of this notice. The IIC is to document this meeting in PHIS. During the meeting, the IIC is to inform establishment management that beginning May 19, 2025:
   1. All meat and poultry export applications for the Philippines will be processed in PHIS;
   2. Export certificates for meat and poultry exports designated for the Philippines will be requested, approved, generated, issued, and officially maintained in the PHIS export module;
   3. FSIS will no longer sign and issue letterhead certificates for exports to the Philippines. Instead, all required statements will be included in PHIS as part of the statement's module. The statements will be selected by the export applicant when completing the export application in PHIS. PHIS will print the selected statements as part of the export certificate in the Remarks of FSIS Form 9060-5 or on FSIS Form 9060-5B;
   4. All meat and poultry export certificates generated through PHIS for the Philippines will be digitally signed by IPP in PHIS;
   5. The export certificate will be printed on plain paper by industry personnel with a PHIS export access role and include the PHIS-generated watermark when printed. FSIS IPP will not print any 9060-5 series certificates unless the establishment has no PHIS access or printer, as printing the certificates is an industry function;
   6. Export applicants with pending certifications for the Philippines that have not been completed and signed by FSIS on paper before May19, 2025, will need to submit a new original (not replacement) application in PHIS on or after May 19, 2025, in order to receive a digitally signed export certificate;
   7. If not already known, IPP are to request the name of the establishment individual who serves as the Establishment Administrator, in addition to a current e-mail address. IPP are to enter the Establishment Administrator into the Contacts page of the Establishment Profile as outlined in FSIS Directive 13000.6, Actions to Facilitate Industry Access to The Public Health Information System; and
   8. The PHIS Components page of the FSIS website provides additional information for exporters on gaining access to PHIS, as well as additional information regarding the PHIS export module.
4. ENHANCED DIGITAL SIGNATURE
   1. FSIS implemented an enhanced digital signature on July 9, 2021, for all countries active in the PHIS export module that accept a digital signature. With the enhanced digital signature, IPP are not to manually apply a digital signature or manually upload any signed export documents for countries that accept a digital signature.
   2. IPP are to review PHIS help Export Tutorials for click-by-click steps to approve export certificates in PHIS and applying a digital signature. IPP are to review the documentation for accuracy and ensure the documents do not contain obvious typographical errors before approving. IPP are to inform the applicant when they observe obvious typographical errors and withhold a final decision until these errors are corrected.
   3. For exports to the Philippines, a Public Health Veterinarian is the FSIS certifying official who is to ensure the PHIS export task is completed. An official digitally signed export certificate with the required watermark "Approved Certificate - Available for Validation in PHIS" will not be available in PHIS if this step is not completed.
   4. The official copy of the approved and digitally signed export certificate is digitally stored in PHIS and available for verification by foreign government officials via the Certificate Signature View (CSV) role in PHIS. IPP do not need to print a copy of the certificate for recordkeeping purposes.
5. IPP INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PHIS STATEMENTS MODULE
   1. Beginning on May 19, 2025, Letterhead Certificates are not to be signed by IPP or issued with the certificate package.
   2. IPP are to review the documentation before applying the digital signature to verify that the export applicant has selected the appropriate statements based on the products listed on the export application and the guidance provided in the FSIS Export Library for the importing country.
      
      EXAMPLE: An export shipment includes poultry and beef, and there are poultry and beef statements that are required in the FSIS Export Library. The export applicant has selected the statements for poultry and the statements for beef. IPP verify that both are present before applying the digital signature or completing the export task.
   3. IPP are to be aware that export applicants can unlock the export application and edit which statements they select or deselect at any point before the application's final approval by the FSIS certifying official. If IPP observe missing country-required statements or incorrect statements that have been added by the export applicant, IPP are not to immediately reject the application. An export applicant cannot correct errors after an application is rejected. Instead, IPP are to inform the export applicant that they need to correct the required statements and re-submit the export application after correction. After correction and re-submission of the export application by the export applicant, IPP are to continue their application review and approval process in PHIS, including verification of any statements selected by the exporter applicant to ensure alignment with requirements in the FSIS Export Library.
6. SEVEN DIGIT EXPORT STAMP
   1. IPP are to be aware that for all exports processed through PHIS, the system will automatically generate a seven-digit (numbers only) export certificate number upon creation of the export application by the export applicant. This seven-digit export certificate number will be used as the USDA export stamp number to mark the products for export. Upon receipt of this notice, IPP certifying exports to the Philippines are to order a seven-digit export stamp if they do not already have one. This is an accountable item and IPP are to securely handle this export stamp in the same fashion as the six-digit export stamp.
   2. IPP are to order the accountable seven-digit export stamp (item number FSIS-03-7) from the Materiel Management Service Center. IPP are to use the following link for ordering instructions: www.bsc.usda.gov. IPP are to send their orders via e-mail to cfpdc@dm.usda.gov or via fax to (301) 394-0300.
7. QUESTIONS
   Refer questions regarding this notice or export related directives to your supervisor or as needed to the Office of Policy and Program Development through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935. When submitting a question, complete the web form and select Export for the Inquiry Type.

NOTE: Refer to FSIS Directive 5620.1, Using askFSIS, for additional information on submitting questions.