THE Department of Foreign Affairs in Davao Region (DFA-Davao) said applicants who are covered by the 'courtesy lane' are allowed for walk-in passport appointments.
These applicants may use the courtesy lane at DFA offices while the rest of the regular applicants are required to secure an online appointment for their schedule and personal appearance.
“Ang eligible for courtesy lane mao ning mga (Those eligible for the courtesy lane are) overseas Filipino workers, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, children aged seven years old and below, solo parents, and katong naay mga (those who have) medical emergencies abroad,” Delza Lourdes D. Bayabao, DFA-Davao Consular Office head, said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw forum at SM City Davao on July 18, 2022.
The Consul Office head added that the online booking, which is already an existing requirement for passport applicants, has eased the application process and helped address the problem of using fixers.
“Katong wala pa online appointment, ang mga aplikante muadto sa DFA in early hours of the morning nakapila tapos i-address din ang issue sa mga fixers or other agents na sila ang mag pila for a fee para sa mga aplicants (Before the online appointment was implemented, the applicants would queue at DFA in the early hours of the morning. It also addressed the issue of fixers or other agents who would queue for the applicants for a fee),” she said.
According to Bayabao, the DFA-Davao office in SM City Davao in Ecoland can accommodate around 400 passport applicants per day, 300 of which are secured online and around 100 are walk-ins.
On the other hand, 500 slots are catered at the temporary off-site venue in SM Lanang Premier, but all the slots should be booked online.
The courtesy lane at DFA consular offices was first implemented in March 2022 to respond to the demand for more walk-in applications. ICM