28 August 2013 - The Philippine Consulate General in Guam dispatched a team to conduct consular mobile services in Tinian from August 03 to 05, and in Saipan on August 07 to 09, both in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The Consulate General’s consular mobile team in Tinian was headed by Consul Edgar Tomas Q. Auxilian and composed of Passport Officer Francis Magno, Communications/Information Officer and Consular Assistant Allan Tangayan, Finance Officer Maria Bernadette Galura, and Authentication Officer Ivy Tongco. The team was joined by Assistance-to-Nationals Officer Bonifacio Hilongo during the consular mission in Saipan.  

This was the first time for the Consulate to conduct such a consular outreach in the island of Tinian and the second for Saipan, since it assumed consular jurisdiction over the CNMI after the closure of Philippine Consulate General in Saipan on 31 October 2012.

It is estimated that the number of Filipinos residing in Tinian is about 700 with about 292 of them employed at the Tinian Dynasty Resort and Casino. Meanwhile, the estimated total number of Filipino still living in Saipan is about 9,000.

The consular outreach in Tinian provided 131 services, including 88 passport renewals, 29 notarials/authentications and 14 civil registry services (i.e., 13 reports of birth/ROB and 1 report of marriage/ROM) to Filipino applicants in Tinian.

On the other hand, the consular outreach program in Saipan covered a total of 575 services, consisting of 451 passport applications  (i.e., 286 e-passport renewal, 150 passport extension, and 15 temporary passports), 105 notarials/authentication, 17 civil registry services (i.e., 10 ROB and 7 ROM), 1 dual citizenship, and 1 visa application.

Aside from the consular services mentioned, the team also attended to and provided advice  or guidance to at least 28 individuals in Tinian and 30 individuals in Saipan on specific concerns and queries such as renewal of OWWA membership, and Philhealth, Pag-IBIG, SSS, civil registration of children, birth certificate issuance by NSO, NBI clearance, and PRC license renewal, among others.

Consul Auxilian also met with CNMI Acting Governor Jude U. Hofschneider at Tinian Dynasty Hotel on  August 04 and called on the Mayor Ramon M. Dela Cruz of Tinian at the Mayor’s Office last August 5. He informed the said officials about the consular mobile outreach services provided by the Consulate to Filipinos and thanked them for the support to the Filipino communities residing on the island and in the CNMI. Both officials expressed appreciation to the Consulate for bringing the services closer to the Filipinos in the CNMI who they value for their important contributions in the community in Tinian and to the economy of the whole CNMI.

While in Saipan, Consul Auxilian and ATN Officer Hilongo also called on Mr. Ramon Mafnas, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections (DOC), on August 09 and visited the nine Filipinos who are presently detained at the DOC to check their condition and extend necessary assistance. After the jail visit, they also visited an overseas Filipino worker who was confined at the Commonwealth Health Center (CHC) hospital in Saipan.

The consular outreach in Tinian held at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel was successfully conducted through the cooperation and support extended by the newly revived United Filipinos Association in Tinian (Unifil), headed by its President, Mr. Rod Cabarles, and Mr. Jim Casauran, Filipino Human Resources Manager at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel.

On the other hand, the consular mobile service in Saipan was ably supported by the United Filipino Organization (UFO), headed by its President, Ms. Annamae Adaza.

Through the respective heads of the two Filipino organizations in Tinian and Saipan, the Filipino communities in the two islands expressed appreciation for the Consulate’s commitment and attention to their consular needs, especially during this time of uncertainty in the CNMI. On behalf of the Consulate and the consular team, Consul Auxilian expressed deep thanks to Mr. Cabarles and Ms. Adaza and the rest of the officers and members of Unifil and UFO and everyone in Tinian and CNMI who extended help one way or the other, for their selfless dedication and continued support to ensure the successful conduct of the consular outreach in Tinian and Saipan.

During the three-day mobile service held at the Daidai Social Hall of the Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Saipan, Consulate’s consular team was also joined by the representatives of the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (DOL-WHD) headed by Mr. Patrick Candoletta and Mr. Dion Tamondong who disseminated relevant information flyers and answered specific queries on wage and other labor issues from a number of Filipinos. This was part of the informal alliance between the Consulate and the US DOL-WHD to assist each other on information dissemination on relevant US policies on labor, wage and hour issues. END