DFA taps PHLPost to deliver diplomatic pouches, passports

The Philippine Postal Corp. will now be the official courier of the Department of Foreign Affairs for 2014, delivering the department's sensitive documents including diplomatic pouches and passports.

PHLPost said Friday this was after it bagged a P21-million contract to deliver DFA documents, including those for temporary passport enrolment centers catering to overseas Filipino workers.

"Under the contract, PHLPost will be in charge in the delivery of DFA's diplomatic/international pouch intended for Foreign Service Posts (FSPs), and domestic deliveries intended for Regional Consular Offices (RCOs), Temporary Passport Enrolment Centers (TPECs) catering to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), offices of the government, private, embassies and consulates of countries within Metro Manila," it said.

With the contract, PHLPost will prioritize DFA mails and shall assign a key official to serve as project manager to monitor the pickup and delivery of such items.

Signing a memorandum of agreement for the contract were DFA Undersecretary for Administration and procuring entity head Linlingay Lacanlale and Postmaster General Josie Dela Cruz.

PHLPost noted that as the government-owned and -controlled corporation engaged in carrying and delivering mail, it has the capability to "dispatch postal items anywhere in the world where mail delivery is possible, in the most economical, efficient and reliable manner and at the reasonable cost."

PHLPost also said it continues to diversify its services from "snail mail" to logistics, "to cater to the delivery needs of its clients including government agencies."

“We are transforming the postal work to logistics services in order to support the business requirements of the government when it comes to mail and parcel delivery,” Dela Cruz said. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News