PH Consulate General in Los Angeles Resumes Consular Services under “New Normal”
Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz (left) with the Philippine Consulate General Consular team. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
LOS ANGELES 17 June 2020 – The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles resumed its frontline consular services under a temporary modified work arrangement in compliance with protocols observed by the governments of the Philippines and the United States, particularly, the Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and California’s Resilience Roadmap, as implemented by the County and City of Los Angeles on 15 June 2020.
The Consulate General is therefore adopting protocols that entail having only a skeleton staff working at the front lines on shortened hours. The Consulate General is enforcing appointment- or mail-based services only. Appointment slots are less than half of the average number of daily clients pre-pandemic while the release of passports and other consular documents to the applicants shall be done by mail only.
“We appeal to our kababayan community to understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we deliver frontline services. Beginning on the 17th of June 2020, there will be fewer appointment slots to ensure fewer people at the Community Hall. Aside from this, we have shortened the time we stay at the office to protect the health and safety of both the public and our personnel,” said Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz. “We are also no longer accepting walk-ins, regardless of circumstance,” he added.
“Our strategy is to start operations and see how we could improve services in the coming weeks under the ‘new normal.’ But in order to do that, we have to take every precaution to ensure that the Consulate General premises are allowed to stay open in the first place,” the Consul General remarked, referencing the L.A. County Health Officer Order on Emergency Quarantine that mandates the immediate quarantine of all persons known have had close contact with another person diagnosed with or likely to have COVID-19.
Consul General Cruz added that as part of efforts to minimize physical contact, everyone is encouraged to bring their own writing pens, exact change (the Consulate General only accepts cash, cashier’s check or money order as payment for services) and photocopies of documentary requirements to minimize the time spent inside the Consulate General Community Hall.
“Read our latest Advisory, as well as the requirements and processes specific to your desired transaction. Remember, we are enforcing policies like ‘no mask, no entry’; ‘no appointment, no service’; and ‘no complete requirements, come back with a new appointment,’ among others, which are designed to maximize physical distancing, minimize contact and avoid cross contamination,” the Consul General emphasized.
The transacting public is strongly encouraged to visit the Consulate General’s official website: www.philippineconsulatela.org to set an appointment and to read instructions thoroughly before planning a visit to the Consulate General.
The Consulate General resumed frontline consular services on 15 June 2020 after temporarily closing to the public on 19 March 2020. The first two days upon resumption were dedicated to claiming new passports applied for prior to the temporary closure. Majority of services, such as passport, dual citizenship, consular notarization (by prior appointment only), as well as civil registry (by mail only) resumed on 17 June 2020. END
Vice Consul Joan Macrise Corrado (leftmost) checks the temperature of applicants as part of the new normal. (Los Angeles PCG)
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.