THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will start accepting filings of annual reports via courier next week as it prohibits in-person submissions while quarantine measures are implemented.
In a notice on its website, the corporate regulator said it is opening its SEC Express System and SEC Express Nationwide Submission (SENS) starting June 1.
The SEC Express System will allow companies to request plain and authenticated copies of SEC documents online, then using SENS, submit reportorial requirements such as audited financial statements and general information sheets through courier.
This is after the SEC told companies to submit reportorial requirements through mail to avoid physical contact for its personnel amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Even with the new platforms, the SEC said it would continue to allow companies to submit reportorial requirements through e-mail. But once the community quarantine is lifted, a hard copy of the filings must be sent to the SEC through SENS.
Companies whose fiscal years ended on Nov. 30, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2019 are covered by the rule.
Submission will follow a schedule based on the last digit of a corporation’s SEC registration or license number. Those whose registration numbers end with 1 or 2 must submit within June 29–July 10; with 3 or 4 within July 13–17; with 5 or 6 within July 20–24; with 7 or 8 within July 27–30; and with 9 or 0 within Aug. 3–7.
Companies may decide to submit before their assigned schedules. Late submissions will be accepted starting Aug. 10, with penalties.
The schedule will not be applicable to publicly listed companies, issuers of registered securities supervised by the SEC Markets and Securities Regulation Department, and investment companies, issuers of proprietary and non-proprietary shares/timeshares and public companies. For these companies, the deadline for filing is until June 30.
Filings to be sent via courier must be delivered to the SEC main office located at the Secretariat Building, Philippine International Convention Center Complex, Pasay City.
The date on the registry receipt of the courier will be considered as the reckoning date of submission. If sent via the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost), the reckoning date will be the date PhilPost receives the filings. — Denise A. Valdez
