PRESS RELEASE

MJBA-066-2009




PHILIPPINE CONSULAR OUTREACH IN HOUSTON

1-2 August 2009

Los Angeles, 9 June 2009 – A team from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles will be conducting a Consular Outreach Program in Houston, Texas to be held on 1-2 August 2009 at the Notre Dame Church Community Center, 7720 Boone Road, Houston TX 77072.

Service hours will be from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm.

The consular outreach program is being undertaken in cooperation with the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Texas (PACC Texas) and the Filipino American Council of South Texas (FACOST).

The following consular services will be rendered:

1. Applications for Machine Readable Passport (Cost: $50), to be returned to the applicant by mail at an additional cost of $6.

2. Applications for the retention and re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship pursuant to Republic Act 9225 or Dual Citizenship Law (Cost: $50). Oath-taking will be scheduled on the same day for qualified applicants.

3. Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) Registration. (Gratis)


The Consulate will only accept payments in cash, postal money order or cashier’s check. Personal checks will not be accepted.

Please note that these consular outreach programs will not accept application for authentication and notarization of documents since these could be filed with the Consulate by mail.


Application forms and requirements can be downloaded from the Consulate’s website at www.philippineconsulatela.org.


In view of the anticipated high volume of applicants and in order to ensure an orderly flow of operations, this Consular outreach shall be guided by the following:


1. STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. No walk-in applicants will be entertained.

2. All Applicants for any of the above consular services are requested to set up an appointment with the Consulate, not later than 24 July 2009 or until
appointment slots are available either through fax (213) 639-0990 or through email at consular.outreach.tx@gmail.com.

3. All Passport Applicants should send an advance copy of their passport application forms and data page (bearing the name and photo) of their passports to the Consulate either by fax or by email. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

4. Dual Citizenship Applicants should send an advance copy of their application forms and supporting documents. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

5. OAV Registrants should also send an advance copy of their application forms and supporting documents. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

6. The final list of all applicants with pre-processed applications will be posted at the Consulate’s website (www.philippineconsulatela.org) by 28 July 2009. Personal appearance is required for all applicants.

7. All applicants are advised to transact their business directly with Consulate officials and not through travel agencies.

8. Private photographers, who are knowledgeable of the photo requirements for the MRP, will be present at the venue during the Consular Outreach for those who will need photos for passport renewal.

For information on consular matters, interested parties may wish to call or email Vice Consul Ruel Gunabe (Tel: 1-213-637-3020 | E-mail: consular.outreach.tx@gmail.com) of the Consulate.

For information on the venue, parties may call Ms. Ethel Mercado, President, PACC Texas (Tel: 1-940-728-2222); or Mr. Tito Refi, Vice President, PACC South Texas Region (Tel: 1-281-415-1400); or Ms. Tess Tuazon, Secretary, PACC Houston (Tel: 1-713-787-1938 | outreachhouston@pacctexas.org).

For the information of the public, the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the U.S. started to accept and to process applications for Machine Readable Passports (MRP) on June 2, 2008. This is in compliance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for its member states, including the Philippines, to issue MRPs not later than 1 April 2010.

Since applications are sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila via diplomatic pouch, it may take six weeks for a passport to be released to the applicants, from the time the application is accepted. Personal appearance is required for data verification, finger-printing and signature capture. Applications by mail are no longer accepted.

In compliance with the new photo requirements for the MRP, applicants are requested to visit the Consulate’s website (www.philippineconsulatela.org).

While some countries may still honor valid green Philippine passports beyond 1 April 2010 as bona fide travel documents until they expire, most countries will require travelers to be holders of either machine readable passports or e-passport for their sojourn by 2010.

In this regard, all Philippine passport holders are advised to renew their Philippine passport six months prior to its expiration, in accordance with ICAO regulations, and to secure their plane tickets only after they have received their new passport.

All Filipinos, including those with valid green passports, are therefore encouraged to apply for their machine readable passports as early as possible.