DFA regional consular office in Dumaguete now fully operating

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Consular Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental is now in full operation, after its office inside the Robinson’s Place mall was inaugurated and blessed over the weekend.

RCO-Dumaguete chief Tita Rebollos said the office is open from Monday through Saturday, offering services such as passport processing (new and renewal) and providing assistance for families of overseas Filipino workers having problems abroad.

Operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Mondays to Fridays) and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, she said.

The RCO-Dumaguete now processes an average of 45 passport applications per day. “It will do its best to increase the number to as many as 100 or 200 a day when possible,” Rebollos said, adding that it is targeting as many as 300 applications per day by next year.

Regular passport fee is P950 (for 20-working day period) while for express passport processing (10 working days) the fee is P1,200.

Rebollos said passport processing is now made easier, faster and more convenient with the RCO-Dumaguete, which caters not only to residents of Negros Oriental but also of nearby provinces. —Judy Flores Partlow (FREEMAN)