Creation and Location of Regional Consular Offices
- Six new Regional Consular Offices are established in the following locations:
- Bacolod City, Negros Oriental (Region VI)
- Butuan City, Agusan del Norte (Region XIII-CARAGA)
- Puerto Princesa, Palawan (Region VI-B-MIMAROPA)
- Baguio City, Benguet (Cordillera Administrative Region)
- General Santos City (Region XII-SOCCSKARGEN)
- Cotabato City (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao)
Mandate and Legal Basis
- The Regional Consular Offices are mandated to process and issue passports and provide various consular services to Filipinos and non-residents.
- This mandate is pursuant to:
- Philippine Passport Act of 1996
- Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 (RA 8042)
- Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
Strategic Role and Regional Impact
- The offices are intended to collaborate with regional government and non-governmental agencies.
- They contribute to the government's economic diplomacy and commercial initiatives in their respective regions.
Organizational Structure
- Each Regional Consular Office shall be staffed by personnel from the DFA Home Office and locally hired employees.
- The office shall be led by a ranking Officer of the Department.
Staff Housing
- Each office is authorized to lease staff housing for Home Office personnel.
- Preference is given for housing within or near the office premises.
Funding and Budget
- Funding comes from the DFA’s annual budget and the Passport Revolving Fund.
- An initial allocation of ₱66 million was released for 2008, as determined by the Department of Budget and Management.
Additional Guidelines and Implementation
- The Secretary of Foreign Affairs is tasked with formulating additional implementing guidelines.
- Guidelines involving financial matters must be coordinated with the Secretary of Budget and Management.
Effectivity
- The Executive Order takes effect immediately upon publication in a national newspaper of general circulation.