DFA Signs Agreement with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the Use of Digital Services

DFA Undersecretary Jesus Domingo (left) signs the MOA together with National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis Mapa. (Standing from L to R) DFA-OCA Deputy Assistant Secretary Arman Talbo, DFA-OCA Assistant Secretary Adelio Cruz, PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande, and PSA Legal Service Head Atty Eliezer Ambatali.

PARAÑAQUE 31 January 2024 – Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Jesus S. Domingo signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis S. Mapa on 24 January 2024 that will enhance the integrity and delivery of consular services to DFA’s clients.

The MOA, signed at the DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs, provides the basic framework in which e-services offered by the PSA can be integrated into the consular processes of the DFA here in the Philippines and abroad. One such service is PSA’s E-Certificate, which, once integrated with consular systems, will allow a consular client to order a PSA birth certificate online and have the same sent directly to the DFA to complete a passport application or an Apostille transaction.

According to Undersecretary Domingo, “it [MOA] offers the promise of a one-stop portal where a passport applicant can apply for a Philippine passport and secure its underlying requirement, a PSA birth certificate, in one step. It also makes possible the roll-out of eApostilles for PSA documents, again using just a single portal. This means better service to the public.”

In his remarks, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Mapa thanked the DFA for the continued partnership with the PSA in promoting the integrity and efficiency of government services to the public.

The collaboration between the DFA and the PSA is in line with the President’s 2023 State of the Nation Address, where he said: “Government must fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people, through its vital frontline services and its back-end functions”. Likewise, the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan called on government agencies to “facilitate the transformation and digitalization of government processes, records and databases”.

Both the DFA and the PSA are committed to the President’s vision of digital transformation and will be operationalizing the MOA in the days ahead. END