BACOLOD CITY, (PNA) — Officials of the Dept. of Foreign Affairs led by Ambassador Victor Jaime Ledda, assistant secretary for consular affairs, witnessed the opening of the DFA Consular Office at the third floor of Robinsons Place Bacolod Wednesday.
Ledda, the country’s ambassador to the Netherlands, said that with its new office, the DFA brings a more convenient and accessible premises to passports applicants in Bacolod and Negros Occidental.
He added that the DFA already simplified their procedures for passport application – from eight steps to only five steps – including processing, data capturing, and releasing.
A regular passport application with a fee of P950 takes 20 days while an express service for P1,200 takes only 10 days.
The DFA Consular Office-Bacolod, headed by Joel Blas, was previously located at the East Block along Circumferential Road and Burgos Extension.
Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. commended the DFA for bringing its services closer to Negrenses.
“I would like to commend the DFA for continuously putting its best foot forward and bringing its services closer to the people. This is surely a milestone event,” the governor said in his message delivered by his wife, Marilyn.
Also present were Special Assistant Marciano de Borja of the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration, and Executive Director Alfonso Ver of the Office of Personnel Administrative Services.
They were joined by Joseph Sian, operations director for Visayas and Mindanao of Robinsons Land Corp., and by Irving Wu, who represented Robinsons Place.
Mayor Monico Puentevella, who facilitated the opening of the local DFA office at East Block when he was still congressman, thanked Sian for providing a space for the DFA at the Robinsons Lingkod Pinoy Center.
This will provide a stress-free, safe and comfortable way of processing of requirements, he added.
De Borja disclosed that the DFA office in Iloilo City will also soon relocate to Robinsons Place Iloilo.
“The DFA offices located at Robinsons Place malls allow us to deliver world-class services to the people,” he added.