DFA's Issue 2018

According to http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/951138/dfa-passport-appointments-slots-january-2018

     

      Starting January 2018, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be issuing Philippine passports with 10-year validity pursuant to Republic Act 10928 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

DFA’s passport appointment system is now operated by state-owned Apo Production Unit, Inc. but the interface has not changed.

Base to http://newsbytes.ph/2018/01/12/whats-wrong-with-the-dfas-passport-appointment-system/

(4th Update – 5:44 p.m., Friday, Jan. 12) At the start of the year, many people whose passports were up for renewal logged on to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) online Passport Appointment System. Much to their surprise, nearly all of the slots up to March 28, 2018 this year were already taken.

In fact, it is worth noting that all the slots in the DFA’s Metro Manila satellite offices were already gone. This left others no other choice but to book appointments in DFA offices outside Metro Manila such as Palawan or Tuguegarao.

Slots taken by travel agencies and fixers?

Interestingly enough, a number of people based in Metro Manila said that they easily secured passport appointment slots with the help of travel agencies. There were also others who claimed that they resorted to transacting with “fixers.”

In fact, staunch Duterte administration supporter Sass Rogando Sassot featured on her Facebook page a complaint sent to her by a concerned citizen.