Page 31 - SEPTEMBER 2017 B ISSUE

September 2017 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition PHILIPPINE EMBASSY AROUND THE WORLD
DFA Makes Passport
Application and Renewal Easier
AFTER releasing thousands of
appointment slots to the public, the
Department of Foreign Affairs is
making it easier for passport applicants
with further improvements in the
appointment system.
Among these new reforms is a
redesign of the appointment system
that now allows applicants to see, at
first glance, which dates have available
slots.
“Now, you don’t need to click on
every date only to find out 60 clicks after drinking water from the water stations.
that the next available appointment
date is in two months’ time,” said DFA
Office of Consular Affairs Executive
Director Angelica Escalona.
“If you will look at our appointment
website, the dates in color red are those
that are fully booked. Those that are
green are those that have available
slots.”
The appointment system also now
has a feedback mechanism that ensures
that applicants are told if there is a
problem with their application, and
what they need to do to resolve the
problem.
“Before, when you applied for a
passport you were told to pick it up on a
scheduled date. If for some reason there
was a problem with your application,
like discrepancies in the information
or documents that you submitted, you
wouldn’t know until that day when you
are supposed to pick up the passport.
There’s no feedback mechanism,”
Escalona explained.
Under the newly instituted feedback
mechanism, the Executive Director
said, the applicant is sent an e-mail that
gives him or her the relevant feedback.
The e-mail is sent within the 48 hours i-click pa ang lahat ng petsa para
the application is evaluated.
“This way, the applicant will know
how to go about things,” she noted.
The appointment system also
prompts users that if you are a senior
citizen, person with disability, pregnant,
solo parent, child 7 years old and below,
and Overseas Filipino Worker, you don’t
need to secure an appointment; you can
just walk in, present your identification
card and use the courtesy lane when
renewing or applying for passports.
Escalona explained that despite the
declaration in the DFA website about
the use of courtesy lane, many who
are entitled to it still go through the
appointment system. The prompt in
the appointment system is meant to
address this situation.
Another notable move is DFA’s hard
stance against fixers who have been
barred from DFA’s premises and blocked
from its appointment system. Helping
the agency go after these unscrupulous
individuals is the National Bureau of
Investigation’s Cybercrime Division
which was tapped by the DFA to go
after these fixers.
In Aseana, DFA’s main office for
passport processing, applicants who
have queries or need assistance can
easily ask from the roving staff deployed feedback mula sa DFA. Ang feedback
there for easy access by applicants.
According to Escalona, applicants
who wait at the Aseana office can also
get a reprieve from the daytime heat as
there are now tents and electric fans in
place there. They can also have cold
“There are even candies there, if they ni Escalona.
want to eat something,” the Executive
Director added.
“We want to give the people the
service they deserve without the hassle
they may have gotten used to in the
past. We’ve just started. More changes
are coming for the convenience,
comfort and security of our people not
just in Aseana but in all satellite and
consular offices and foreign posts”,
Escalona said. •••
DFA Pinadali ang Aplikasyon
at Renewal ng Pasaporte
MATAPOS magbukas ng libu-
libong appointment slots sa publiko,
pinadali ng Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) ang passport application
sa pamamagitan ng pagsasaayos ng
appointment system.
Inayos ng DFA ang disenyo ng online
appointment system para sa isang tingin
lamang ay makikita na ng aplikante
ang mga bakanteng petsa kung kailan
pwede siyang mag-apply o mag-renew
ng pasaporte.
“Ngayon, hindi na nila kailangang
lang malaman na ang susunod
na appointment ay aabutin pa ng
dalawang buwan,” wika ni DFA Office
of Consular Affairs Executive Director
Angelica Escalona.
“Kung bibisitahin mo ang ating
appointment website, ang mga petsa na
kulay pula ay pawang may naka-book
na, samantalang ang mga petsa na
kulay berde ay pawang mga bakante,”
dagdag pa ni Escalona.
Ang appointment system ay
dinagdagan din ng feedback mechanism
na nagsasabi sa aplikante kung merong
problema sa kanyang aplikasyon at
kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin
upang malutas agad ito.
“Noon kasi walang feedback
mechanism, kaya malalaman lamang
ng aplikante ang problema sa kanyang
aplikasyon--kagaya ng discrepancies
o pagkakaiba sa impormasyon o
dokumentong isinumite--sa takdang
araw mismo nang pagkuha niya ng
pasaporte. Ang resulta ay babalik siya
para magsumite ng impormasyon o
dokumento at muli para kunin ang
pasaporte,” saad pa ni Escalona.
Sa bagong ipinapatupad na
feedback mechanism, wika ni Escalona,
ang aplikante ay makakatanggap ng
e-mail na nagsasaad ng angkop na
ay ipinapadala sa aplikante 48 hours o
dalawang araw matapos ang pagsusuri
sa papeles ng aplikante. Sa Aseana, ang pangunahing
“Sa ganitong paraan, ang aplikante
ay magkakaroon ng sapat na panahon
upang maayos niya ang kakulangan o
discrepancy sa kanyang papeles at hindi
na magpapabalik-balik pa,” dagdag pa
Pinapaalala rin ng appointment
system na kung ang aplikante ay
senior citizen, person with disability o
may kapansanan, buntis, solo parent,
batang nasa edad na pito at pababa, o
Overseas Filipino Worker, hindi na niya
kailangang kumuha ng appointment.
Bagkus ay pwede siyang mag-walk-in
at gumamit ng courtesy lane. Kailangan
lamang niyang ipakita ang kanyang ID.
Paliwanag ni Escalona, kahit
nakasaad sa DFA website ang mga
pwedeng gumamit ng courtesy lane,
marami pa rin sa kanila ang dumadaan
sa appointment system. Kaya minabuti
ng DFA na paalalahanan silang gamitin
ang kanilang pribilehiyo.
Ilan pa sa mga ipinatupad na
agresibong pagbabago sa DFA ay
ang pagsawata sa mga fixers na di
Foreign Affairs Secretary Cayetano Participates at the
Inauguration of the ASEAN Culture House in Busan
BUSAN – Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Alan Peter Cayetano attended the
inauguration of the ASEAN Culture House
in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK) on 1
September 2017. The ASEAN Culture
House was established to showcase the
richness and diversity of the cultures of
ASEAN countries, and to promote ASEAN
awareness to Koreans.
Secretary Cayetano, who serves as
the Chair of ASEAN this year, delivered
his congratulatory remarks on behalf
of other ASEAN Foreign Ministers
present during the inauguration.
In his remarks, Secretary Cayetano
extended his appreciation to Korea for
its initiative to set-up an ASEAN Culture of Korea.
House which provides a lively platform
www.hello-philippines.com
pinapayagang pumasok sa DFA at
gumamit ng online appointment
system. Nakikipagtulungan ang DFA
sa National Bureau of Investigation-
Cybercrime Division upang mahuli ang
mga fixers na nagsasamantala sa mga
aplikante.
opisina ng DFA sa passport processing,
nagtalaga ng mga roving staff members
upang tumugon sa mga tanong ng
aplikante o magbigay ng agarang
tulong sa loob ng pasilidad.
Dagdag pa ni Escalona,
mababawasan ang init habang
naghihintay sa kanilang opisina sa
Aseana dahil nagdagdag na rin ng tents
at electric fans sa lugar. Meron ding
to enhance Koreans’ understanding of the
cultures and societies of ASEAN countries,
and to promote mutual awareness and
friendship between the peoples of ASEAN
and Korea.
Secretary Cayetano expressed his hope
that the ASEAN Culture House would be a
long standing symbol of the ever growing
partnership between Korea and ASEAN,
as both chart a future of mutual peace,
prosperity and cultural vibrance in Korea
and ASEAN.
The inauguration was followed by a
luncheon hosted by Foreign Minister Kang
Kyung-wha of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accorded a full Dialogue Partner status at
Underscoring its commitment to this
outcome activity, the Philippines, through
31
water stations na pwedeng kunan ng
mga aplikante ng malamig na inuming
tubig.
“Meron pa ngang mga candies para
sa sino mang aplikante,” saad pa ng
Executive Director.
“Ang mga pagbabagong ito ay
ginagawa namin upang maibigay sa tao
ang serbisyong karapat-dapat para sa
kanila. Simula pa lamang ang mga ito.
Marami pa kaming gustong ipatupad
upang maging mas mabilis, maginhawa
at maayos ang pagkuha ng pasaporte
hindi lamang sa Aseana kundi sa lahat
ng satellite offices, consular offices at
foreign posts ng DFA,” pagtatapos ni
Escalona. n Philippine Embassy Philippines |
September 14, 2017
the DFA and the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), donated
exhibition materials to the permanent
exhibition. The NCCA has loaned exhibition
materials for the special exhibition on
ASEAN wedding cultures and tradition
which will run until 19 November 2017.
The establishment of the ASEAN Culture
House in Busan is an outcome of the
ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit on
the 25th Anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK
Dialogue Relations held in Busan in 2014.
The Republic of Korea is one of the ten
(10) Dialogue Partners of ASEAN. It was
the 24th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM)
in July 1991 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. n
Philippine Embassy Philippines | September 7, 2017