THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assured the public yesterday that the new guidelines set to be released would make passport application easier and more convenient before yearend.
The new guidelines will allow the DFA to more effectively respond to the consular needs of the public.
The new program which will include the creation of a nationwide appointment system, would make the passport application process simpler and easier.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said he had 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.
Del Rosario said the proposed appointment system would complement the ongoing transfer of DFA consular offices to shopping malls nationwide under Public-Private Partnership arrangements that would save the government an estimated P1.04 billion in operating costs in the next 10 years.
He said that before the end of the year the DFA would be able to open the first 13 consular offices in Metro Manila and other key cities and at the same time conclude negotiations for similar arrangements for the hosting of consular offices in other parts of the country.
The new guidelines also require all DFA mall-based offices to operate beyond regular office hours from Mondays to Saturdays to accommodate applicants who could not afford to be absent from work or school. These offices will also be open for three hours on Sundays to allow applicants to claim their passports.
Del Rosario also ordered the decentralization of authentication services and to make this service available in Metro Manila and San Fernando, Pampanga; Cebu, and Davao.
He said 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. (DFA)
