DFA working to reduce passport backlog

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is working to reduce the current backlog of more than 20,000 passport applications by Oct. 31, an official said yesterday.

“We gave ourselves a deadline of Oct. 31 and we will do whatever is needed to make a significant reduction in the backlog,” Assistant Secretary Senen Mangalile said in a virtual press briefing.

From July 9 to Oct. 2, the DFA processed 648,151 passports but 24,069 were suspended due to errors in the forms submitted by the applicants.

The DFA also increased the number of personnel correcting errors in the suspended applications.

“Realistically speaking, if we won’t be able to make it by October, that will take another two weeks before we are able to overhaul the entire suspended application backlog,” Mangalile said.

He said the DFA is also addressing concerns on the delay in the release and delivery of passports.

Mangalile said 184,935 passports were printed out in August but around 4,000 remain undelivered.

The DFA apologized in July for the unsatisfactory performance of Quick Reliable Service or QRS as the agency’s official courier for passport delivery.

The DFA instructed APO Production Unit, Inc., its end-to-end-passport process provider, to immediately cease using the passport delivery services of QRS due to multiple complaints received from passport applicants.