By John Rey Saavedra/PNA
CEBU CITY –– The Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) “Passport on Wheels” program will be in Cebu on February 4, the vice mayor said Thursday.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the DFA will bring its “Passport on Wheels” mega van at the SM Seaside in the South Road Properties.
The mega van will process new applications and renewal of passports until March 2. The processing will be from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, except on Chinese New Year (February 5) and Cebu City Charter Day (February 24).
“This project is the positive response of the DFA to the request of the Cebuanos to bring down their passport processing here in Cebu City,” said Labella, who also posted an advisory on his Facebook account.
He said he and his colleagues in the City Council of Cebu thanked the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) Michael Lloyd Dino for coordinating with the office of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin in planning the off-site processing of passports, which is seen to benefit hundreds of Cebu residents.
Dino confirmed in a phone interview that Locsin will formally open the program at the said mall on Monday morning.
“This is the second passport on wheels in Cebu. But this time, we will make it 22 days, as compared to the passport on wheels last August of 2018, which we only processed passports for one week,” he said.
The foreign affairs and the presidential assistant’s office understand the need to make off-site passport processing for the Cebuanos, Dino said.
“This is one of the many efforts of the Duterte administration to bring services closer to the people,” he said.
OPAV staff Kevin Maglinte told the PNA in a text message that the passport on wheels will not entertain walk-in applicants and will only process applications from applicants who have already obtained appointments online.
