AT LEAST 3,595 passport applicants benefited from the Passport On Wheels program of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) at Almendras Gym last March 16 to 17, which was conducted at the request of the city government.
Based on the report from City Information Office (CIO), Sharon Cuenca, Assistant Coordinator for the Passport on Wheels program, said the two-day event, held in connection with the 81st Araw ng Davao, recorded the largest applications processed so far in the entire country.
“Usually, when the DFA conducts passport on wheels it is only for 300 applicants, but during the Araw ng Davao, we received 4,376 applications,” Cuenca said.
From the 4,376 passport applications, Cuenca said 3,595 had been approved.
Cuenca said that the disapproved applicants either did not show up or did not have enough documents with them.
“There were cases where they lacked documents that is why their applications were not accepted,” Cuenca said.
Each application was also processed fast — at only about 10 to 30 minutes.
City Administrator and lawyer Zuleika Lopez during the last Tuesday's flag ceremony thanked the people behind the success of the passport on wheels.
“Thank you very much for all your efforts, because of you, we had a successful passport on wheels event,” she said.
Mary Resma, the coordinator for the Passport on Wheels Program said it is up to Davao city mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to request again for another Passport on wheels program in the city.
She said many have requested that the same kind of event will he held again here.