A Philippine passport is a document issued by the Government of the Philippines to citizens of the Republic of the Philippines requesting other governments to allow them to pass safely and freely. It is both a travel document and a national identity document that enables the bearer to travel internationally.[1]
Passport offices in the Philippines are under the jurisdiction of the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). These Field Offices of the DFA-OCA, also known as Passport Extension Offices and officially as DFA Consular Offices, process passport applications in select regional shopping malls across the country.[2] In addition to the issuance of Philippine passports, these offices also provide authentification services, verification of consular record documents, accept applications for delayed registration of report of birth, marriage or death abroad and other civil registry documents in coordination with relevant Philippine Foreign Service posts, as well as provide assistance-to-nationals (ATN) services to Filipinos.[3]
The first mall-based passport office opened in February 2012 at Pacific Mall Mandaue in Mandaue. This was followed by Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga and Marquee Mall in Angeles City which opened in June and July 2012, respectively.[4] In Metro Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs opened its first passport office at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong in August 2012.[5]
Passport offices in the country were categorized as either Satellite Offices (SO) within Metro Manila or Regional Consular Offices (RCO) in other regions. In 2017, through Executive Order No. 45, these passport offices were reorganized under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary of the DFA-OCA and officially renamed as DFA Consular Offices (CO).[6] Each passport office is now headed by a Philippine Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and a Philippine Foreign Service Staff Officer (FSSO).[3]
As of March 2019, the Office of Consular Affairs operates 30 mall-based DFA COs in major cities and regional centers, including six in the capital region.[7]
Passport offices
| Passport office | City/Municipality | Province/Region | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFA CO Angeles | Angeles City | Pampanga | SM City Clark |
| DFA CO Antipolo | Antipolo | Rizal | SM Cherry Antipolo |
| DFA CO Bacolod | Bacolod | Negros Occidental | Robinsons Bacolod |
| DFA CO Baguio | Baguio | Benguet | SM City Baguio |
| DFA CO Butuan | Butuan | Agusan del Norte | Robinsons Butuan |
| DFA CO Cagayan de Oro | Cagayan de Oro | Misamis Oriental | Centrio |
| DFA CO Calasiao | Calasiao | Pangasinan | Robinsons Pangasinan |
| DFA CO Clarin/Ozamis | Clarin | Misamis Occidental | Clarin Town Center |
| DFA CO Cebu | Mandaue | Cebu | Pacific Mall Mandaue |
| DFA CO Cotabato | Cotabato City | Maguindanao | Mall of Alnor |
| DFA CO Dasmariñas | Dasmariñas | Cavite | SM City Dasmariñas |
| DFA CO Davao | Davao City | Davao del Sur | SM City Davao |
| DFA CO Dumaguete | Dumaguete | Negros Oriental | Robinsons Dumaguete |
| DFA CO General Santos | General Santos | South Cotabato | Robinsons General Santos |
| DFA CO Ilocos Norte | San Nicolas | Ilocos Norte | Robinsons Ilocos |
| DFA CO Iloilo | Iloilo City | Iloilo | Robinsons Iloilo |
| DFA CO La Union | San Fernando | La Union | Manna Mall |
| DFA CO Legazpi | Legazpi | Albay | Pacific Mall Legazpi |
| DFA CO Lipa | Lipa | Batangas | Robinsons Lipa |
| DFA CO Lucena | Lucena | Quezon | Pacific Mall Lucena |
| DFA CO Malolos | Malolos | Bulacan | Malolos Central Transport Terminal and Commercial Hub by Xentro Mall |
| DFA CO NCR-Central | Pasig City | Metro Manila | Robinsons Galleria |
| DFA CO NCR-East | Mandaluyong | Metro Manila | SM Megamall |
| DFA CO NCR-North | Quezon City | Metro Manila | Robinsons Novaliches |
| DFA CO NCR-Northeast | Quezon City | Metro Manila | Ali Mall |
| DFA CO NCR-South | Muntinlupa | Metro Manila | Alabang Town Center |
| DFA CO NCR-West | Manila | Metro Manila | SM City Manila |
| DFA CO Pampanga | San Fernando | Pampanga | Robinsons Starmalls |
| DFA CO Puerto Princesa | Puerto Princesa | Palawan | Robinsons Palawan |
| DFA CO San Nicolas | San Nicolas | Ilocos Norte | Robinsons Ilocos |
| DFA CO San Pablo | San Pablo | Laguna | SM City San Pablo |
| DFA CO Santiago | Santiago | Isabela | Robinsons Santiago |
| DFA CO Tacloban | Tacloban | Leyte | Robinsons North Tacloban |
| DFA CO Tagum | Tagum | Davao del Norte | Mall of Tagum |
| DFA CO Tuguegarao | Tuguegarao | Cagayan | City Hall Regional Government Center |
| DFA CO Zamboanga | Zamboanga City | Zamboanga del Sur | Go-Velayo Building, Veterans Avenue |
References
- ↑ "Republic Act No. 8239 (Philippine Passport Act of 1996)". Official Gazette (Philippines). Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ↑ Reyes, Fat (July 30, 2012). "14 mall-based passport offices to serve public by end of year – DFA". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- 1 2 "Executive Order No. 45, s. 2017". Official Gazette (Philippines). Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ↑ Department of Foreign Affairs (July 19, 2012). "Marked improvement in DFA's passport services". Official Gazette (Philippines). Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ↑ Lee-Brago, Pia (September 1, 2012). "Passports now available at SM Megamall". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Duterte restructures NEDA, DFA, BOC offices". Presidential Communications Operations Office. October 24, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Directory". Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Consular Affairs. Retrieved March 23, 2019.