The Department of Foreign Affairs has called out some recruitment agencies that were found to have urged applicants to line up and stay overnight at its office in Parañaque City to process their travel documents.
DFA Acting Assistant Secretary Christian De Jesus said this was revealed during the Department's preliminary investigation on the sudden influx of walk-in applicants at its office in Aseana Business Park recently.
"Several recruitment agencies had disseminated misinformation among their applicants regarding the Department's walk-in policy," De Jesus said in a virtual press briefing on Thursday, March 24.
"According to accounts of applicants, their recruitment agencies urged them to line up and stay overnight at the DFA Aseana so that all their travel documents could be expedited," he added.
De Jesus also said that other applicants' agencies even instructed them late at night to proceed to the Aseana office immediately.
"DFA considers the behavior of certain recruitment agencies highly irresponsible and malicious. Not only for disregarding the DFA's announced limits for walk-in applicants and attempting to monopolize DFA's walk-in services to the detriment of other eligible applicants but also for disregarding the welfare of our OFWs whom they ought to protect by putting them out on the streets in the middle of the night," he noted.
De Jesus said among the agencies reported are Silver Skilled Recruitment Inc., First Select International Manpower Services, Inc., and J.A.S. Empire International Promotion Corporation.
Walk-in application for apostille services was temporarily suspended at the DFA-Aseana on Wednesday, March 23, as long lines of applicants formed as early as Tuesday night after the Department announced it will begin accommodating walk-ins for said services.
The DFA already said that it will only accept 300 walk-in applicants for the passport courtesy lane and another 300 walk-in applicants for authentication or apostille services.
"While only a limited number of walk-in applicants can be served per day, this type of accommodation will be offered continuously," De Jesus said.
"For safety and health reasons, the Department urges the public not to line up beyond operational hours," he added.
The Department likewise advised applicants to consider going to other DFA Consular Offices for the processing of their documents.
These are the consular offices that are accepting walk-in applicants for apostille services according to the DFA:
- SM Megamall (100 applicants)
- SM Manila (150 applicants)
- Robinsons Starmills Pampanga (80 applicants)
- Alabang Town Center (150 applicants)
- Robinsons Place Iloilo (60 applicants)
- Ali Mall Cubao (80 applicants)
- CSI Mall La Union (50 applicants)
- SM City Davao (90 applicants)
- Pacific Mall Mandaue Cebu (100 applicants)
- SM Downtown Premiere Cagayan de Oro (37 applicants)
Meanwhile, the DFA assured that it will remain committed to resolve issues surrounding consular services and delivering these services effectively to Filipinos.