LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Municipal officials requested Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, through Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, to conduct mobile passporting services in the municipality and other adjoining areas to allow residents to have easier access to such services after the lull caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.
Under Resolution No. 31,2023 authored by Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan, the municipal government is grateful to the earlier mobile passporting services conducted in the municipality and other municipalities in the province which the department approved through the efforts of Yap where thousands of residents were able to process their passports or renew these even at the height of the pandemic.
At present, La Trinidad has a population of 137,404 based on the results of the 2020 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority which represents some 29.83 percent of the overall population of Benguet and 7.64 percent of the overall population of the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Further, La Trinidad has a growth rate of 5.5 percent having the fastest growth rate among various local governments in the region being the capital town and center of trade and commerce in the Cordillera.
The municipal council admitted that many of the residents were not able to avail of various government services during the pandemic and the implementation of various restrictions where one of the very important services that were not able afforded to the people were the renewal and application of new passports, thus, the need for the foreign affairs department to resume the conduct of mobile passporting services to allow Filipinos to be able to renew or process their new passports with convenience.
According to Awingan, mobile passporting services is one of the laudable programs of the foreign affairs department because such services make it accessible to people having difficulty in finances and ability to make reservations with the consular offices.
The approved resolution will be provided to Mayor Romeo K. Salda and Rep. Yap for them to follow up with the foreign affairs department the request so that residents in the municipality and other neighboring communities could avail of the services the earliest possible schedule with ease and convenience.
Awingan admitted that people are having difficulties reserving available slots in the DFA consular office in Baguio City because these are always filled up, thus, the need for the local government to look for alternative ways on how to bring such mobile passporting services to the municipality so that residents will be able to access their services.
He expressed hope that with persistent follow up by Rep. Yap, the conduct of mobile passporting services would be granted and be done the earliest.
