13 May 2015 - A consular team from the Philippine Consulate General in Agana traveled some eight hours on the island-hopper flight from Guam to Majuro, capital and principal island of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean, to conduct its annual consular mission for Filipinos in that country.

Philippine Consul General Marciano R. de Borja joined the consular team, which was headed by Consul Mark Francis C. Hamoy, for his first visit to the Marshall Islands so he could call on top government officials including President Christopher Loeak.

The consular team set up operations at a small function room in the Marshall Islands Resort Hotel and proceeded to deliver consular services to the Filipinos based in Majuro, as well as from other remote islands like Ebeye and Kwajelein. A total of 101 consular services were provided to Filipinos in the Marshall Islands, comprised of 83 e-Passport applications, one replacement of lost passport, one extension/amendment of passport, six notarials, five reports of birth, one report of marriage, and three petitions for re-acquisition of Filipino citizenship with one derivative minor included. Meanwhile, an additional 94 overseas voters were registered for the 2016 national elections during the consular mission.

Three Assistance-To-Nationals (ATN) cases were also attended to during the consular mission, including a jail visit conducted by Consul Hamoy and ATN Officer Juliet Simbul. Consul a.h. Dr. Alexander Z. Pinano accompanied them during the jail visit.

On the last evening of the consular team in Majuro, Consul Pinano and Mr. Fernando R. Domingo, Jr., President of the Filipino Association of the Marshall Islands, helped organize a town hall meeting where the Filipino community in Majuro were able to address their concerns directly to Consul General de Borja and his team. END