Don’t come early, DFA tells passport applicants

CEBU, Philippines - Due to safety reason, the Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Office-Cebu is discouraging passport applicants from going to their office at dawn just to be first in line.

Despite the note posted outside the DFA office, people are still coming as early as 2 a.m. without thinking of their security.

“We really discourage them kay delikado ilabi na dunay mangatulog gawas sa opisina aron lang mauna,” said Anika Fernandez, DFA-Cebu director.

Fernandez said they do not have the authority to prohibit passport applicants from coming too early because some of them come from other provinces.

“Maybe ang uban nila layo pa ug gigikanan and that they wanted to be first in the line and it is already in the culture or mind of the people nga dapat musayo but they know that the office is open at 8:00a.m. pa,” Fernandez said.

She said priority numbers will be given at 7 a.m.

Anilyn Palomares, 24, from Pardo, Cebu City, said that when she went to DFA at 2 a.m., there was already a long line.

“Sayo gyud mi ngadto kay taas lagi kuno og linya unya sa kasayo namo ika-300 na diay mi,” she told The FREEMAN, adding that she had no other choice but to wait for her turn.

Most of those who come early are inter-island travelers who still have to go home as soon as they finished processing their application.

Fernandez said that they do not have a cutoff for the passport applications.

“Inig abli namo diretso-diretso na gyud mi kay wala may noon break basta at 5 p.m. mag-close na gyud mi,” she said.

With the reopening of DFA-Tacloban City, Fernandez hopes that the volume of people coming to Cebu will lessen. The satellite office in Tacloban City was closed for a few months following the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda last year.

All data are sent to DFA-Cebu so as not to delay other applications.

Fernandez said the agency is taking initiatives to provide convenience to applicants, explaining that complaints over delays are caused by the increasing number of daily transactions.

She added it normally takes six weeks after the application for the passport to be released.  (FREEMAN)