Passport applicants hoping to fix errors in their forms continue to troop to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) head office. The long queue of applicants has stoked apprehension that this could be a virus super spreader.
On Monday, Oct. 11, a short video and a series of photos showing the long queue of applicants outside the DFA Aseana in Paranaque was uploaded by one of the passport hopefuls, Allyza Taylor, to seek help from DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin in easing the situation, which she feared might cause another health problem.
"The reality of desperate Filipinos, OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) with tickets already even...DFA is full of desperate Filipinos and this can be a COVID super spreader," Taylor said as she posted the 8-second video showing little to no physical distancing among applicants outside the gates.
The reality of desperate Filipinos, OFWs with tickets already even. @DFAPHL @teddyboylocsin DFA is full of desperate Filipinos and this is can be a covid superspreader pic.twitter.com/PzggOyF7Hm
— Allyza Taylor (@Tayraaawr) October 11, 2021
It was later reposted by DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin, describing the situation as "outrageous."
"This is outrageous. All offices have been recruited to do consular manual work," Locsin said, calling the attention of the agency's Office of the Consular Affairs.
@DFAPHL @dfaoca This is outrageous. All offices have been recruited to do consular manual work. https://t.co/eefQwNwnRK
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) October 11, 2021
Taylor told the Manila Bulletin that applicants queue as early as 2 a.m. in order to be included in the 100-applicant limit set by the DFA per day.
"They will only give out the ticketing system once you're close to the gate, and they wouldn't let you know if they are at the 100 limit. You will just get surprised," Taylor said.
This is the reason why she and a lot more Filipinos took to social media their concerns in the hopes that the department could come up with a better ticketing system so as not to get more people queueing at the office every day.
"I think it stems back all the way from Filipinos having a hard time booking an appointment. Nagmamadali sila para ma-secure yung slot kaya nagkakamali po sa mga name. Tapos nag-backlog po ang DFA because they don't fix corrections as soon as possible on renewal process pa lang (They are trying to secure the slot right away causing them to make errors on the appointment. Then there was a backlog on the part of DFA because they don't fix corrections as soon as possible on the renewal process)," Taylor told the Manila Bulletin.
"Mabait naman po yung mga guards (The guards are actually kind) and the help of the police, it was better, but I wish they had a better system," she added.
The DFA has earlier disclosed that it will clear more than 20,000 suspended passport application backlog by the end of October.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Senen Mangalile disclosed in September that they received a staggering over 26,000 passport applications with errors in the names and dates of birth of applicants.
Mangalile then said that affected applicants will have to seek another online schedule, "which does not come easy nowadays" due to the limited number of staff tasked to correct the errors.
This prompted the agency to open additional temporary offsite passport services (TOPS) facilities in Metro Manila and the provinces in order to increase the passport appointment slots available to the public.