DFA launches electronic passport database system

As it enters the New Year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it has scanned and entered the first one million documents into its new electronic passport database. The DFA said the documents pertain to 100,000 applicants who will be the first entries in its electronic database, which the Consular Records Division started in February 2006. "With the aid of technology, we are able to speedily address the consular needs of the Filipinos ... Considering the volume of records, the Paperless Consular Record-keeping has drastically enhanced our service, especially in catering to concerns such as loss of documents or confirming discrepancies in documents, as compared with the manual search for files in the store room," Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Domingo Lucenario said in a statement on the DFA website (dfa.gov.ph). He said that since February 2006, the Consular Records Division (CRD) of the DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs has been scanning passport applications and their supporting documents. It has also scanned documents of Filipinos abroad submitted by Philippine foreign posts, such as birth certificates, marriage contracts, death and divorce reports. At least four heavy-duty scanners manned by CRD personnel have reportedly been working up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. Once the electronic scanning of the said documents is finished, the files are labeled and stored in compact discs for easy retrieval of records. "To date, passport applications filed in 2006 have been digitally scanned and stored, while the scanning of 2005 records are currently underway," the DFA said. Diplomatic and official passport application records for the last five years are already on the electronic database. Diplomatic passports are issued to diplomats and high-ranking officials, while official passports are for government officials during official trips. The DFA also reportedly plans to digitize the passport databases of its Regional Consular Offices across the country. About 3,000 to 5,000 consular applications are received at the Department on a daily basis. - GMANews.TV