Dumaguete City Tourism limits number of mobile passport applicants

Wednesday 18th of April 2012

DUMAGUETE CITY, April 18 (PIA) --- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has allowed the Dumaguete City Tourism Office to accept only 700 applications for the mobile passporting activity scheduled in May this year.

City Tourism Officer Woodrow Maquiling Jr. said his office has stopped receiving applications after it has reached the maximum number of applicants.

The city tourism office here was flooded with applications for DFA's mobile passport services since the first week of March.

Maquiling said his office would like to cater to more applicants but they have already exceeded the quota alloted by DFA for Dumaguete.

"We have already closed the reservation and application because we already have reached the limit, and hopefully the public will understand,’’ Maquiling said.

He added that the City Tourism was overwhelmed with the number of applicants that poured in as it was beyond their expectations.

With a normal fee of P1,200 set by DFA, the mobile passport activity is one of its most sought-after services as applicants would no longer have to travel to Bacolod or Cebu to process their applications.

The mobile passporting is scheduled on May 5 and 6 at Robinson’s Place, Calindagan, Dumaguete City.

However, applicants who are no longer accepted but with complete documents may still go to Robinson's during the passporting for a chance to land in the wait list as soon as there is still time for the DFA to process their applications.

The DFA is also eyeing to hold a satellite office at Robinson's Place in Dumaguete to cater to Negros Oriental applicants.

This is the fourth mobile passporting activity in Dumaguete city. Since 2009, more than 2,000 passports were released and serviced already, Maquiling said. (RMN/JCT-PIA Negros Oriental)