THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday opened its largest consular office at Ali Mall in Araneta City, Cubao, a 443-square-meter expansion aimed at boosting document processing.
“We now have the space to ensure that the clients will have a seamless experience applying for whatever document they need […] It also allows us to have a dedicated section for authentication services, which means it’s more convenient for the clients,” DFA Undersecretary for Administration Maria Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new site.
The Ali Mall branch — officially known as the DFA Consular Office National Capital Region (NCR) Northeast — was established through a 12-year-old public-private partnership (PPP) with the Araneta Group of Companies, Ms. Dizon-De Vega said.
Araneta Group and the DFA first collaborated in 2014, when they worked together to open the original NCR Northeast office at Araneta Center.
Araneta City’s central location was a major consideration for the DFA in its partnership with the Araneta Group, Ms. Dizon-De Vega explained, describing the area as accessible to public transportation and communities within and outside Quezon City.
Ms. Dizon-De Vega emphasized that PPPs with companies like Ayala Group help make the DFA’s services more accessible and citizen-centric.
“The DFA’s partnerships with various private establishments to house our consular offices really helps us to bring our consular services closer to the public,” Ms. Dizon-De Vega said. “It also eliminates longer waiting times, [which would continue] if we still had the old system of having a centralized operation.” — Francessca S. Abalos