Keep your visa, solon tells US

Not interested.

This, in sum, was the message conveyed yesterday by Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada Jr. (Lakas, Negros Occidental) to an officer of the United States Embassy who telephoned him for the replacement of his canceled 10-year, multiple-entry tourist visa.

He said he told him that he was no longer interested.

"Bibigyan ka lang ng lollipop, okay na? (They give you a lollipop to make it okay?) No, I’m not biting," he said.

The US Embassy, which canceled Lozada’s visa last week when he requested that it be transferred to his new passport, issued a statement yesterday expressing deep regret for "the inconvenience and embarrassment the embassy inadvertently" caused Lozada.

Lozada said a certain Mr. Martin phoned to arrange for the pick-up of his new passport and informed him that the cancellation of his visa was the result of a "mix-up" but did not offer an apology for it.

However, the officer told him that the embassy was embarrassed by the incident, he added.

On the other hand, the embassy said it had "extended its apologies directly" to Lozada, chairman of the House foreign relations committee.

Even without his tourist visa, Lozada said he can still travel to the US whenever the House of Representatives includes him in the delegation that attends the annual United Nations general assembly meeting.

He said he can use his diplomatic passport and visa for the UN meeting but that he would be restricted to the New York City area where the UN headquarters are located.

In a statement, the US Embassy said that its Non-Immigrant Visa Section processes over 250,000 applications.

"In all cases in which an applicant requests a renewal or transfer to new travel documents of a currently valid visa, the older documentation is canceled ‘without prejudice’, meaning that the applicant’s request remains in good standing for renewal or re-issuance.

"It is very embarrassing to the US Embassy that, due to the mishandling of the Representative’s documentation, Representative Lozada did not receive the prompt, efficient attention that is normally afforded to all of our visa clients, and that he so rightly deserved," the embassy statement added. — Jess Diaz