DFA Opens Consular Office in Balanga City

From left to right: Vice-Governor Maria Cristina M. Garcia, Governor Jose Enrique S. Garcia III, Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, Consular Office Coordinating Division Director Conrado B. Demdem, Jr., Congressman Albert Raymond S. Garcia, and Mayor Francis Anthony Garcia lead the ribbon cutting ceremony. (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)

BALANGA 27 November 2024 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in cooperation with the Provincial Government of Bataan, opened its 40th Consular Office (CO) in Balanga City, Bataan on 15 November 2024. The inauguration ceremony and official launch of the CO was led by DFA Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) Assistant Secretary Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, Jr., Bataan 2nd District Representative Congressman Albert Raymond S. Garcia, Provincial Vice-Governor Maria Cristina M. Garcia, and Bataan Provincial Governor Jose Enrique S. Garcia III.

The program for inauguration of the CO at the 3rd floor of Bataan Government Center and Business Hub “The Bunker” started with a morning mass and blessing before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, opening remarks from OCA and the Provincial Government of Bataan (PGB), and then the official launch of the Balanga CO.

The establishment of CO Balanga provides ease in crucial DFA services by giving closer access to over 800,000 residents of Bataan. The majority female staffed CO features a seating capacity for accommodation of 65 for processing, 45 for encoding, and 20 for releasing as well as six processing and six encoding counters.

Situated in Bataan, The Bunker is a tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers during World War II. With its spiral architecture, it prides itself in being a ‘one-stop shop’, providing both private and national government services to its locals.

Assistant Secretary Adelio Angelito Cruz expressed his gratitude to the citizens of Bataan, emphasizing the province's significance in Philippine History as the last destination of the soldiers during World War II.

CO Balanga offers its services to the public from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, at Level 3, The Bunker, City of Balanga, Province of Bataan. END

COCD Director Conrado B. Demdem, Jr. (Left) and OCA Asec. Adelio Angelito S. Cruz (Center) with the mostly female DFA Staff of CO Balanga (Photo by DFA-OCA)