Saudi Gazette report AL-KHAFJI — The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has extended consular services to 303 Filipinos during an outreach program in Al-Khafji in the Eastern Province on Aug. 9-10. The consular team, led by Vice Consul Winston S. Almeda, encoded 285 e-passport applications, and processed 15 notarial papers and three passport extensions. Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago expressed his appreciation to the community leaders and volunteers in the Eastern Province who assisted the embassy team during the outreach mission. The next "Embassy on Wheels" will be held at Al-Jazeera International School in Al-Rakah, Al-Khobar on Aug. 29-30. Embassy officials advised Filipinos wishing to renew their passports to schedule an appointment through the embassy's website www.philembassy-riyadh.org. The online appointment system allows the applicants to choose the preferred date and time for their appointment, and a confirmation is automatically sent to them through an email. Those who need replacements for lost passports or new passports for infants do not need an appointment and may directly approach the counter with supporting documents. Meanwhile, the embassy said more than 1,100 distressed Filipinos in Riyadh have been repatriated as part of the Philippine government's efforts to assist its nationals during the ongoing status correction period in the Kingdom. Of them, 135 traveled within the past week on plane tickets provided by the Philippine government. The embassy is making flight bookings for another 203 Filipinos who have requested assistance after obtaining final exit visas from the Saudi authorities, a statement said. Recently, 97 Filipino mothers with undocumented children were granted exit visas after DNA testing by a Ministry of Interior team and fingerprinting at the Passport Department in Shumaisy. The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah has repatriated 881 Filipinos on tickets purchased by the Manila government. With the end of the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, Philippine diplomats said the embassy and the consulate will continue providing assistance to Filipinos in facilitating the rectification of their status or expediting issuance of final exit visas before the Nov. 3 grace period deadline.
