MANILA— The Department of Foreign Affairs urged Thursday urged Thursday the public to refrain from lining up outside its offices beyond operational hours.

In a press briefing, Christian de Jesus, deputy assistant secretary of the DFA Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), said the agency's offices would continuously cater to walk-in apostille and passport applicants, albeit at a limited number.

"Hindi po kailangan magpunta sa gabi o sa madaling araw dahil continuous po ang ating walk-in services every day. Three-hundred sa Aseana ang limit," he said, referring to the DFA's office in Parañaque City.

(They don't need to come at night or early morning because our walk-in services are continuous every day. The limit at the Aseana office is 300.)

De Jesus' statement comes after dozens of people applying for apostille certificates and passports had been lining up outside the DFA's Aseana office at night to avail of services the following day.

• Mga kumukuha ng passport dumagsa sa DFA Aseana

The following are the limit of walk-in applicants that the consular offices cater to each day:

• Megamall (100 applicants)
• SM Manila (150 applicants)
• Robinsons Star Mall (80 applicants)
• Alabang Town Center (150 applicants)
• Robinson’s Place Iloilo (60 applicants)
• Ali Mall Cubao (80 applicants)
• CSI Mall in La Union (50 applicants)
• SM City Davao (90 applicants)
• Pacific Mall Mandaue (100 applicants)
• SM Downton Premier in Cagayan De Oro (37 applicants)

Applicants who face difficulties in booking appointments and have “urgent and extraordinary circumstances” are urged to email the DFA-OCA at passportconcerns@dfa.gov.ph for passport concerns and oca.apostilleconcerns@dfa.gov.ph for apostille concerns.

The agency also called out recruitment agencies for telling applicants to line up and stay overnight at the Aseana office “so that all their travel documents could be expedited.”

“Other applicants conveyed that their agencies instructed them late at night to proceed to DFA-Aseana immediately,” De Jesus said.

“DFA considers this 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.”

The DFA also warned the public against transacting with fixers offering assistance in obtaining passport and authentication appointment slots in exchange for high fees.

“DFA is exerting all efforts and coordinating with relevant agencies to put a stop to the abuse of appointment slots by enterprising individuals and groups,” De Jesus said, vowing that the department is “continuously working on improving its processes and systems.”

— Report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv