PRESS RELEASE NO. /2008
8 July 2008
First Mobile Service for the MRPs by Jeddah Consulate
328 Apply for new Philippine Machine Readable Passport in Tabuk
On 3-4 July 2008
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The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah sent a consular mobile team to Tabuk in the northwestern region of the Kingdom on 3 – 4 July 2008 to extend consular and labor services to Filipino nationals who could not afford to travel to Jeddah due to pressure from heavy work and the cost of travel.
Area coordinator, Mr. Ahmad Espinosa in Tabuk, had earlier requested the consular mobile service for the new Machine Readable Passport, citing the difficulties facing OFWs in leaving their work and traveling to Jeddah, 1200 kilometers away.
The Consulate team was led by Consul General Ezzedin H. Tago, and included Labor Attaché Adam Musa, Welfare Officer Romeo Pablo, Mr. Amir Hussein D. Alonto, Mr. Faisal Richard A. Tamano , Mr. Ariel M. Duqueza, Mr. Camama P. Mandangan, Jr.
In Tabuk, Filipino community volunteers led by Mr. Espinosa were ready to assist the team. They had already arranged the mobile service venue and made other arrangements with Royal Tower Hotel
Everyone seemed excited to get a new passport – one that is more secure and compliant with international standards. As early as 7 a.m., Filipino nationals in Tabuk and neighboring towns started knocking at the door to file their applications. The team served received MRP applications the whole day from 8AM to 11PM, processing a total of 206 applications the first day. The process was very orderly and organized due to the invaluable assistance of the volunteers.
On the second day, another 122 applicants were processed from 8AM to 4PM. The mobile service served a total of 328 MRP applicants, and more OFWs in Tabuk and other cities said they looked forward to applying during the next mobile service in Tabuk.
On behalf of the community in Tabuk, Mr. Ahmad Espinosa thanked the Consulate for the mobile service long awaited by the community. The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah startd receiving applications for the new MRP on 24 May 2008.
The next mobile service to Tabuk will be scheduled sometime in October 2008 after the holy month of Ramadhan. Consul General Tago also announced this to the community and during a short visit to a basketball tournament among various Filipino teams of companies in Tabuk. It was an ideal occasion for the Consul General to mention in his brief remarks the need to apply for the new passports six months before its expiry and not to wait until the passport had already expired or will soon expire. He and the consular team shortly visited the tournament late evening of Friday before returning to Jeddah.
The next mobile service for the machine readable passport will be to Jizan on 7-8 August 2008.END
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