Pangasinan soon to have DFA Regional Consular Office

LINGAYEN—  Passports and other documents for  Filipinos bound to foreign countries will soon be processed  in Pangasinan.

This was disclosed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Regional  which said that  a Consular Office will be located at the third floor of Robinson's Pangasinan in Calasiao by the end of this year.

The closest consular office of DFA is in San Fernando, La Union but most OFWs still get their passports and other travel documents.processed in Metro-Manila.

Revealed during the August 5, 2013 Provincial Board regular session, the DFA Regional Consular Office will not cost the national government any rental fee, said Board Member Ranjit Shahani.

The Board Member also remarked that the opening of a DFA office in the province will encourage people to get passports as such are not only travel documents but are means of identification.

"In fact,passports are more effective-as a notary public- than cedula (community tax certificate)," he said.

In addition, Shahani said that Governor Amado Espino Jr. together with  Ex-President Fidel Ramos, Vice President Jejomar Binay, DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario, and Senator Grace Poe are expected to lead the inauguration of the office in December. (PIO)