The Philippine Embassy sponsored a lecture on Gender and Development entitled "The Philippines' Initiative on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights to Women". The lecture, which was delivered by First Secretary and Consul Mary Jennifer D. Dingal, and it discussed the objective of advancing women's human rights in various fronts and multiple contexts through women's empowerment, with emphasis on the Philippines gains and achievements in the field. The event was attended by lady spouses of the various ASEAN member-countries based in Riyadh and spouses of the Philippine Embassy personnel. A mini-cultural presentation followed the lecture. 5-day EOW serves 769 passport clients in Al-Khobar The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh (Dec. 11-12) recently conducted its 40th consular outreach mission or Embassy on Wheels (EOW) at the Gold Tulip Hotel in Al-Khobar. It was also the 6th special passport outreach mission in 2015. During the 5-day activity, the consular team was able to serve 769 passport clients. The consular team was composed of passports coordinator Noly C. Dulay, collecting officer Ms. Maria Cristina Salvacion and administrative staff Acas M. Bayabao, Jr. The team also received valuable assistance from Filipino community volunteers from the Eastern Province. As part of the Embassy's program to improve customer service, the outreach mission also distributed client feedback forms to 797 clients, of which 707 responded. The next schedule of Consular Outreach Services will be on Dec. 18-19 at the Al Madj (Al Jazeera International School) in Dammam. 198 passport services extended in Riyadh The Philippine Embassy successfully held its consular outreach services or "Embassy on Wheels" (EOW) for male applicants at the Daawah Islamic Center in Riyadh 2nd Industrial City on Dec. 5. The Embassy Consular Team was composed of Saipoden Manalao, Arturo Arpia, Edison Y. Ipac, Noly Dulay and Eujames C. Acopan. They were ably assisted by Filipino community volunteers from the Dawah Islamic Center. During the EOW, the team was able to process 198 e-Passport applications. As part of the Embassy's program to improve customer service, the team conducted a client feedback survey to 198 clients EOW provides 1,462 consular services in Al Khobar Members of the mission recently visited Al Khobar for its 38th Embassy on Wheels (EOW) consular outreach mission this year. The mission provided a total of 1,462 consular services to the Filipinos in the Eastern Province at the Al Madj (Al Jazeera) International School Dammam. The five-member Embassy team, led by Consul Maria Angelica Genotiva, processed 307 passport renewals, processed 8 lost passport applications, 61 passport extensions, 1 petition for correction of clerical error, 283 notarials, issued 2 travel documents and 21 reports of birth. The team also released 779 new e-passports. The team was augmented by volunteers from the Filipino community in the Eastern province. As part of the Embassy's program to improve customer service, the outreach mission also distributed client feedback forms to 500 clients. Embassy Advisories The Philippine Embassy wishes to reiterate to the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia that pursuant to Foreign Service Circular No. 115-2014 and recent guidelines issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the procedure for the registration of legal instruments relative to or affecting births that occurred abroad, including Saudi Arabia, the following must be observed: 1. Legal instruments such as the Affidavits of Legitimation, Acknowledgement of Paternity and Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father, may be filed directly with the City Civil Registrar Office (CCRO) of Manila after securing notarization from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh; 2. To facilitate the processing by CCRO Manila of the legal instrument, applicants are advised to send their notarized legal instruments with a Special Power of Attorney (SPA), duly notarized by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, to their relative or designated representative in the Philippines who will file, on their behalf, and will perform the following tasks: a. To have the legal instrument verified by the Authentication Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila, as part of the requirement of the CCRO Manila, there be any doubt on their authenticity; and, b. To pay CCRO Manila the prescribed bees for the registration of the legal document. 3. After processing at the CCRO Manila, the legal instrument will be forwarded to the PSA for registration. The Embassy also wishes to reiterate to the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia that pursuant to the instruction of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, the Embassy shall offer passport extensions only until the last working day of 2015. The extension of the validity of passports shall be for a period of one (1) to two (2) years only from the date of application for extension. All applications for passport validity extensions shall be free of charge (gratis). All applications shall be processed and released within the same day. — SG
