DFA to process 4,000 passports a day in new edifice

Passport applicants can expect prompt and fast service after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had its new consular building blessed and readied for opening last week. DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo said in a radio interview that he expects the new facility to process up to 4,000 passports a day once it opens in a few weeks. “Mga 3,000 to 4,000 a day, mas maginhawa ang proseso ng pag-apply. Ang ating objective is within shortest possible time, makakaalis sila agad," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We will process 3,000 to 4,000 passports a day. The application will be more convenient now. Our objective is to process the passports soonest.) He said this is apart from the appointments for passport applicants that can be made through the Internet. The new building is located at the corner of Bradco and Macapagal Avenues in Aseana Business Park, Parañaque City. It is a few minutes away from the SM Mall of Asia, and is expected to be open to the public in a few weeks’ time. “Consular clients will now have the comfort of waiting their turn, sitting on ergonomically-designed stainless steel benches. Instead of long queues, clients can shorten their wait by accessing the DFA’s online appointment system. They now only have to move from ground to second floor for their consular applications," the DFA earlier said. The new building will be the home of the ePassport, the electronic authentication system, the electronic visa system, and digitalized consular records system. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV