PHL Embassy in New Zealand Brings Consular Services Closer to Filipinos in Auckland

Clients line-up for services. At the foreground, the Embassy’s VRM Operator captures the biometrics of an applicant for OVR.

23 February 2018 WELLINGTON — The Philippine Embassy in Wellington conducted the first consular outreach mission for 2018 on February 14–19 in Auckland, which is the first since the implementation of the 10-year validity extension of e-passports.

The region has the highest concentration of Philippine nationals in New Zealand which is 50% of the entire Filipino community population in the country.

The Embassy team rendered a total of 1,900 consular services with 947 new passport applications (for infant/first time applicants), renewal, replacement and validity extension (for humanitarian reasons) of passports. Other applicants availed of notarial, civil registry, NBI fingerprinting and certification, travel document issuance, overseas voting registration/certification, and administering of Oath of Allegiance for Philippine citizenship retention/reacquisition. The team, headed by Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus S. Domingo, also accommodated requests for meetings with migrant workers and other Overseas Filipinos to consult on consular, labour and ATN concerns.

Six hundred four (604) Filipinos availed of Overseas Voting Registration (OVR), which is being implemented under Republic Act No. 9189, as amended by Republic Act No. 10590. The OVR period spans from 01 December 2016 to 31 October 2018. This will enable Filipino citizens abroad, not otherwise disqualified by law, at least 18 years of age on 13 May 2019, to cast their votes for the May 2019 elections.

Ninety (90) New Zealand immigrants who qualified under the criteria set forth in Republic Act No. 9225, otherwise known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, were administered the Oath of Allegiance or Panunumpa ng Katapatan. Reciting the Oath is the final requirement for retention/reacquisition of Philippine citizenship.

The consular team was made up of five members with three in charge of passport enrolment, one of OVR and one of reviewing documentary requirements and receiving payments. Non-stop servicing from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. were provided for an average of 340 per day. Applicants arrived at the venue to queue quite early at around 6–7 in the morning.  

The large volume of applicants could be partially attributed to the sudden general increase in demand brought about by the recent extension of the validity for Philippine passports from five years to 10. Passport validity for those aged 17 years old and below remains at five years due to developing biometrics.

The consular outreach aims to bring the Embassy’s services closer to Filipino nationals in Auckland, New Zealand and the Embassy’s other countries of jurisdiction. The mission also provided an opportunity for the Embassy to personally clarify consular policies and procedures, and strengthen its links with the Filipino community.

The mission greatly benefitted from the enthusiastic and extensive support of the Filipino community in Auckland, spearheaded by the #PinoyWeCare partnership platform initiative of the Embassy with the Migrante Aotearoa, as well as other volunteers who kindly contributed their time and effort to help the applicants in filling up forms, completing requirements and addressing their other needs, among other things.

The mission was held at the Community Action Centre of the Migrant Action Trust along Sandringham Road Extension in Mount Roskill. Details of succeeding mobile consular services are posted on the Philippine Embassy website at www.philembassy.org.nz and on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineEmbassyWellingtonNewZealand. END

After dialogue photo of Ambassador Domingo seated at the head of the table (photo centre) in black barong, with Filipino Migrant Workers and #PinoyWeCare partnership and Migrante Aotearoa.

Ambassador Domingo takes a selfie with meeting participants wherein he briefed them about the Embassy’s Universal Diplomacy framework and the #TourismDiplomacy and #VAMBA initiatives to help promote the Philippines.