DFA sees 2023 as one of its most active years

passport scam

INQUIRER file photo of a passport by an Overseas Filipino Worker

MANILA, Philippines — For the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), 2023 is one of its busiest years.

In a report hours before the year ends, the agency said government, through DFA and other government agencies, held 65 bilateral meetings and engaged in 45 political consultations.

On the other hand, DFA processed more than 3 million passports and released over 518,000 apostille certificates.

DFA’s website defines an Apostille as a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document.

It is issued by a country that is party to the Apostille Convention and it is meant to be used in another country, which is also a party to the Convention.

Among achievements DFA takes pride in also include the issuance of over 190,000 visas this year.

It also filed 60,471 civil registry documents.

It granted 7,346 assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers.

It repatriated of 5,043 Filipinos.

On Sunday, DFA identified the following events it participated in this year:

January 

7th PH-Finland political consultations

10th PH-United States bilateral strategic dialogue

March 

7th bilateral consultation on South China Sea

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s visit

April 

5th PH-Argentina bilateral consultation meeting

PH – Azerbaijan political consultations

5th PH-Sweden political consultations

PH welcomes repatriates from Sudan

May 

Signing ceremony on Exchange of Notes on Japan’s supplemental loan for MRT Line 3 rehabilitation project

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s visit

PH-Canada bilateral meeting

June

Israeli Foreign Minister’s visit to PH

July 

6th PH-Brazil bilateral consultation meeting

125th DFA Day

Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho’s visit

August 

6th PH-Chile bilateral consultation meeting

September 

43rd ASEAN summit

October 

PH-Estonia inaugural political consultation

3rd PH-Georgia political consultation

6th PH-Australia ministerial meeting in Adelaide

November

PH-Japan Exchange of Notes on security assistance and non-project grant aid for the construction equipment of road network development and disaster quick response operations in BARMM

PH-Iran joint consultative meeting on political, economic and cultural cooperation

PH-Czech Republic inaugural political consultations

10th PH-Switzerland political consultations

Foreign Affairs Secretary Manalo welcomes Filipino repatriates from war-torn Gaza

December

Signing of Memorandum of Agreement between PH-Cuba on political consultations

Reopening of Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini

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