The government’s Passport on Wheels (POW) is coming to Taguig City on Saturday, March 10, to serve 1,800 first-time applicants and those seeking to renew their passports at the Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan.
The city government will offer free snacks, refreshments and medical services to ensure the comfort and safety of applicants during the processing and while waiting for their turn.
The POW project initiated by the Department of Foreign Affairs has visited and served 12 cities, eight municipalities and processed the passports of more than 25,000 people all around the country.
Under the program in partnership with the Taguig City Civil Registry Office, DFA personnel will personally come to the city to assist its residents in securing appointment slots, and in processing their passports.
“We are aware of the high demand of online passport appointments, that’s why we think that the Passport on Wheels will surely bring convenience to the residents,” Taguig City Civil Registry Office officer-in-charge Cynthia Ignacio said.
She noted that the DFA has four POW vehicles which can process 500 passports each.
According to Ignacio, the POW in Taguig will cater to 1,800 residents who earlier filed their requirements with the city’s Civil Registry Office during the application period that ran from January 23 to February 23, 2018.
The final approval of these pre-registered applicants will be done by DFA personnel on March 10. Once approved, the data capture process — picture taking, biometrics, and signing — of the applicant will take place. The applicant’s passport will then be delivered straight to their houses.
“We are very happy to have this opportunity from the Department of Foreign Affairs because it allows the community to experience a breezy procedure in processing their passports. In return, the city will continue to do its part in assisting and making this activity a success,” Ignacio added.
The POW is a continuation of the city’s annual Mobile Passport Services which catered to Taguigeños since 2011. Apart from this, the CRO organizes mass weddings, provides free birth registration services, and even issues, for free, certified true copies of birth certificates.
The DFA launched its first Passport on Wheels project in Las Pinas and served at least 2,000 applicants.
“We want to utilize this every single day, Monday to Friday. Until the middle of the year, we want to double capacity, from nine thousand a day we want to be able to process 18,000 a day,” said DFA secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
He said his agency is initially targeting to deliver passport services to different locations in Metro Manila not currently served by DFA’s six mall-based consular offices.
The Passport on Wheels project will be next introduced in Clark, Pampanga but Cayetano cleared this will not be exclusive for Luzon.