PHL to hold 'embassy on wheels' in Al-Khobar Dec 16-17

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia will conduct an "embassy on wheels" consular service for Filipinos in the Al-Khobar area on Dec. 16 and 17, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said. It said the embassy on wheels (EOW) for this week has been scheduled at the International Philippine School in Al-Khobar. On December 16, the EOW will encode only 100 e-Passports, plus applicants whose applications have already been verified and passport fees paid in the previous EOWs in Al-Khobar. On the next day, the embassy will encode 75 e-Passpors, plus applicants whose applications have already been verified and passport fees paid in previous EOWs in Al-Khobar. In making the announcement, the embassy said there were some 250 applicants during the last Al-Khobar EOW last Nov. 25 and 26 who did not make it to encoding. Meanwhile, the embassy said some 450 Filipinos were served in the EOW consular mission in Jubail in Saudi Arabia last Dec. 9 and 10. Vice Consul Paulo Saret headed an EOW team of eight embassy staff and Filipino community leaders and volunteers at Tamimi Camp 2 (worker’s camp). "This is the first consular outreach bringing the new e-Passport to Jubail, an industrial city in the Eastern Region," the embassy said. During last week's EOW, the Embassy served more than 450 Filipinos, processing 449 passport applicants, extending old passports and helping 40 compatriots who needed notarial services. Philippine Embassy Charge d'Affaires Ezzedin Tago thanked the Filipino community there for helping the Embassy team in serving the consular needs of the community in Jubail. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV