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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA defends mandate to issue visas; cites immigration bureau's role in issuance process

DFA defends mandate to issue visas; cites immigration bureau's role in issuance process

Published Nov 23, 2023 01:40 pm

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has defended the exercise of its mandate to issue Philippine visas to foreign nationals after the Department of Justice (DOJ) suggested allowing third-parties to perform this function on account of supposed irregularities.

Ma. Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, said Thursday DFA’s mandate to issue visas, through its Foreign Service Posts worldwide, is anchored on international and local laws.

These include the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the 1987 Administrative Code and the Codified Visa Rules and Regulations of the Philippines of 2002, Daza added.

Amid irregularities cited by the DOJ that are tagged as amounting to a national security concern, Daza maintained that the agency is providing “the first tier of defense gatekeeping,” that is done through “stringent admissions criteria for foreign nationals.”

She added that the Bureau of Immigration (BI), an agency under the DOJ, is assisting the DFA in the “stringent visa issuance process.” BI, she said, provides the “second tier of defense gatekeeping” through admitting foreigners based on its security database and the conduct of interviews.

On Monday, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla pushed for the outsourcing of the process of visa issuance due to alleged irregularities discovered among Chinese nationals.

Remulla said they would recommend to President Marcos that the issuance of visas of Chinese nationals be handled by visa outsourcing and technology services specialist VFS Global, which works with governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.

Daza maintained that DFA’s mandate “is integral to the current national gatekeeping mechanism of admitting foreign nationals into the Philippines.”

“Over the years, the Philippines' two-tiered national defense gatekeeping system ensures that the country's national security is protected,” she added.

Related Tags

visa issuance Department of Justice Chinese nationals Ma. Teresita Daza
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