MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) will suspend the processing of passport applications from March 16 to April 14 in Metro Manila, which has been placed under community quarantine, except those of individuals with “urgent needs,” such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and those seeking medical treatment overseas.
“The temporary arrangement is in accordance with the stringent social distancing measures in the National Capital Region (NCR) imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) effective March 15,” the DFA said in a statement on Saturday.
The President announced on Thursday that Metro Manila has been placed under community quarantine to prevent the spread of the dreaded new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The DFA-OCA said its main office at Aseana Business Park in Parañaque City and six consular offices in NCR “will be temporarily operating with a skeletal workforce and provide consular services only to individuals with urgent needs, such as OFWs and those with medical cases.”
The main office, as well as the NCR Central consular office at Robinsons Galleria Mall in Mandaluyong City, will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. All other consular offices in Metro Manila will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be no Saturday operations nationwide beginning March 21 until further notice.In accordance with the directives of the IATF-EID resolution on social distancing, applicants who have no urgent need for consular services, including those with confirmed passport appointments, are requested to defer their visits to the consular offices until the community quarantine period is over.
Passport applicants with confirmed appointments from March 9 and who were not able to show up during their appointment due to COVID-19 concerns will be accommodated from April 15 until May 29 during regular office hours, except on Saturdays.