Lawyer John Orola, consultant for trade, tourism and investment of Bacolod City, has asked Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Senen Mangalile to put up an extension office of the agency outside the Negros Occidental capital city.
Orola, in a statement, said he informed Mayor Evelio Leonardia about the need for the DFA to facilitate the request or appeal of those applying for passports that cannot be acted on by the DFA due to numerous numbers of applicants especially those outside Bacolod City.
He said he requested the DFA to put up an extension office in northern and southern areas of Negros Occidental to accommodate all passport applicants like seafarers, overseas Filipino workers, businessmen and those from the academe who are scheduled for overseas trips and interviews for their employment purposes in which one requirement is a valid passport.
Orola also informed the mayor that he had already discussed the matter with the DFA Consular Office.
After talking with Mangalile, he said he was suggested to discuss it with the congressmen in Negros Occidental to provide the necessary logistical support in setting up the DFA extension office outside Bacolod.
He added that Mangalile also suggested putting up a special lane with an active email to address or respond immediately to those applicants who are required of immediate passports by their principals.
The consultant stressed that most of the online applications could not get immediate reply of their date of interviews or response from DFA office to apprise them of the status of their request and concerns.
Orola said the establishing an extension office outside Bacolod aims to accommodate those who are non-residents of the city.
“Though leisure travel is not allowed due to the ongoing pandemic, the office of DFA-Bacolod is already congested with applicants mainly for employment and business purposes,” he said.
Orola disclosed that the DFA had been acting positively especially on the part of the Economic Stimulus Program of the government, and he is looking forward for the positive development of his request to ease the process for the people of Bacolod and Negros Occidental. (MAP)