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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be setting up a nationwide appointment system for passport applicants and a call center dedicated to them, the department said Thursday, June 28.
On the occasion of its 114th founding anniversary, the DFA released new guidelines to make it easier for Filipinos to apply for passports.
Foreign Secretary del Rosario said he has given the DFA Office of Consular Affairs until Dec 31, 2012 to put in place a dedicated call center that would allow passport applicants to choose the date and time they would like to be accommodated in any DFA consular office nationwide.
The DFA also expects to open its first 13 consular offices in Metro Manila and other key cities before the end of the year.
The new guidelines also require all DFA mall-based offices to operate beyond regular office hours from Mondays to Saturdays. These offices will also be open for 3 hours on Sundays to allow applicants to claim their passports.
These measures will “significantly reduce if not eliminate the long lines that have been associated with the passport application process,” Del Rosario said in a statement.
He said he has also ordered the decentralization of authentication services and to make this service available in Metro Manila and San Fernando, Pampanga; Cebu and Davao.
The DFA has no plans of increasing its passport fees, which are currently pegged at P950 for regular processing and P1,200 for expedited processing. – Rappler.com
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