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| The passport-by-mail scheme will apply only to those who apply on or after May 25 |
Passport applicants need not go back to the Consulate to
pick up their new travel document when they apply starting May 25, as this will
be delivered to their homes by Hong Kong Post.
The start of the new scheme previously discussed by Consul
General Raly Tejada in an interview with The SUN was announced in the
Consulate’s Facebook page today, May 13.
Congen Tejada says the shift to mail delivery is part of the
effort to decongest the Consulate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
disease.
It is also meant to spare applicants the trouble of going
back and queuing up anew at the Consulate just to pick up their passports.
As part of the new rule, passport applicants need to bring
along a prepaid courier envelope which they can buy at any Hong Kong Post
Office branch for $32 each.
This particular envelope is emerald green and has the label
“Local Courier Post” printed on the top left-hand corner. This ensures that the
envelope containing the passport is delivered right at the doorstep of the
applicant, who must sign a receipt confirming the delivery.
To resolve problems with securing the envelope on Sundays
when post offices are closed, the Consulate is looking at asking Metrobank,
which has its offices also in United Centre building, to supply it to
applicants at cost (meaning $32) as a form of public service.
Passport application has been the principal cause of
overcrowding at the Consulate, especially on Sundays, when up to 200 Filipinos
line up for this service.
Previously, applicants needed to queue up thrice: first, to
get an appointment; second, to complete the application process by filling up
the data information sheet, have their passport photo taken, and pay the fee;
and third, to pick up their passport.
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Congen Tejada has eliminated the first by introducing a
no-contact appointment system. Applicants are now told to secure an appointment
online (hk.passport.gov.ph), by telephone (2823 8508/ 5241 5464), or email
(epass.app@gmailcom).
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| The drop-box was installed to stop people offering online appointments for a fee to OFWs |
Later, after realizing that some unscrupulous groups were
offering to make online appointments for overseas Filipino workers for a hefty fee,
he clamped down on the practice by installing an application drop box at the
Metrobank branch by the lifts leading up to the Consulate.
The drop-box, online and phone appointments have drastically
reduced the number of Filipinos going to the PCG on Sundays for their
application.
Postal delivery of the new passports is expected to
decongest the Consulate further, especially on peak days.
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Other measures the PCG introduced to reduce contagion risk include
the rearrangement of the passport application processing system with the four
biometrics desks moved to the public hall, and set about two meters apart.
For PCG staff and visitor protection, frontline desks and
counters now have polypropylene panes to minimize the possibility of spreading the
virus through droplets.
But with the Hong Kong
government leading the way to restoring full service to the public, the
Consulate has reverted to its usual work hours of 9am to 4pm Monday to
Thursday, and 8am to 4pm every Sunday, starting on May 11.
Previously, the work hours were cut to 10am to 3pm Sunday to
Thursday, as part of the Consulate’s anti-virus measures. Staff were also allowed
to work from home on alternate days to promote social distancing.
