MANILA, Philippines - Good news, travelers!
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, January 23, announced that it opened 100,000 new passport appointment slots for February to May 2018.
The news follows after the public clamor on difficulty of securing a schedule in the DFA's online passport appointment system.
Some netizens claim that "syndicates" and travel agencies are behind the fiasco on the agency. Reports said that the latter sell slots for P5,000 and above.
Meanwhile, DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano added the possibility of alleged syndicates may be using "bots," or software apps to automate reservations.
"We're looking kung gaano kabilis maubos 'yung slots and we're suspecting na merong 'bots' na kung tawagin sa IT na naga-grab [ng slots]," he said.
The DFA has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to verify the abrupt shortage and selling of slots.
Recently, the agency launched its Passport on Wheels program in different areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to decongest consular offices.
Applicants may schedule an appointment through the DFA website, passport.gov.ph/appointment.
— The Summit Express
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, January 23, announced that it opened 100,000 new passport appointment slots for February to May 2018.
The news follows after the public clamor on difficulty of securing a schedule in the DFA's online passport appointment system.
Some netizens claim that "syndicates" and travel agencies are behind the fiasco on the agency. Reports said that the latter sell slots for P5,000 and above.
Meanwhile, DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano added the possibility of alleged syndicates may be using "bots," or software apps to automate reservations.
"We're looking kung gaano kabilis maubos 'yung slots and we're suspecting na merong 'bots' na kung tawagin sa IT na naga-grab [ng slots]," he said.
The DFA has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to verify the abrupt shortage and selling of slots.
Recently, the agency launched its Passport on Wheels program in different areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to decongest consular offices.
Applicants may schedule an appointment through the DFA website, passport.gov.ph/appointment.
— The Summit Express
