DFA: Passport backlog is at 3 million

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is facing a backlog of three million applications for the issuance of new and renewed passports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido "Dodo" Dulay said Tuesday. 

"The backlog, meaning the estimate of the number of people who want to get a Philippine passport now, is at three million. Ang dami talaga (there are really so many), if we base it on our historical records," Dulay said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

"The biggest challenge is really the COVID-19 pandemic because we had to cut our operations by 50% to comply with minimum public health standards. You cannot make all the people go pack the place because social distancing is required," he added.

Dulay said that to give more slots for passport applicants, the DFA opened off-site centers but even this measure could hardly keep up with the demand. 

The DFA official then said they are eyeing to open more sites which would be exclusively for overseas Filipino workers and those renewing their passports, to speed up the process.

"The three million backlog is what we are working on, and the challenge really is how can we catch up at a time of the pandemic," he said.

"We need more sites, and these will only be for OFWs and passport renewal because evaluating documentary requirements takes more time for new passport applicants," the DFA official added.

Dulay could not say why there is such a surge of people wanting to get a passport, saying it was not in their place to discourage people from doing so.

"We appeal to the public that if it is not urgent, they should consider deferring it and let those OFWs, with medical concerns and for family reunification avail of the services first. But of course we cannot stop the public from wanting to get a passport since it also speaks of the integrity of our passport system," he pointed out.

Dulay then reminded the public that securing a passport appointment is free. He said this amid reports that there are individuals offering to secure slots for passport appointments by staking out online and encoding the information of the passport applicants in exchange for a fee.

"Getting a slot is free. Yes, we cannot really tell if the passport applicant is the one encoding details online. But if we do away with online appointment, people will come in droves via walk-in system and so the process will even take longer," the DFA official said.

"Bottom line, the demand is higher than the supply," he added. —KG, GMA News