For the longest time, Antiqueños need to travel to Iloilo City to apply for passports.

Going to this regional center means a longer commute, leading to increased transportation and allowance costs, more time spent in traffic, and, for some people, added stress and a dizzy head.

But these are now a thing of the past – at least for Antiqueños seeking to get their passport after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) opened a consular office in San Jose de Buenavista, the capital town of the province of Antique.

The DFA Consular Office (CO) in Antique opened its doors to the public at its temporary location in Robinsons Antique last Jan. 30.

Thankfully, Nanay Josefina only had to take a short commute to get to DFA-CO Antique and claim her walk-in privilege as a senior citizen for her transaction.

“I have been wanting to renew my passport for a long time now. In fact, I was not able to go on trips abroad kay wara ako [valid] passport kag budlay maka-book kang online appointment (I have been wanting to renew my passport for a long time now. In fact, I was not able to go on trips abroad because I did not have a [valid] passport and it was difficult booking an online appointment.),” she said.

Nanay Josefina could not contain her happiness and contentment when she completed the process for the renewal of her passport swiftly and conveniently as it only took her about 15 minutes for the entire procedure.  

their parents or guardians, and pregnant women who are eligible for a walk-in privilege anytime. 

Ponce added that the facility can accommodate up to 300 clients per day, thus, the assurance that the passport needs of the Antiqueños will be catered.

Ponce also enjoined the Antiqueños to treat kindly the DFA-CO Antique staff who are mostly their kasimanwa, “Be kind to our personnel because sometimes kulang ang requirements and kailangang pabalikin [ang client]. Alagaan din natin sila because many of them are from Antique and they are only here to serve (Be kind to our personnel because sometimes the requirements are lacking and the client needs to return. Let us take care of them because many of them are from Antique and they are only here to serve).”

Meantime, the release of passports from the DFA Central Office is within 12 business days for a regular transaction, with a transaction fee of P950, while within 7 business days for rush or expedite, with a fee of P1,200.00, excluding courier delivery fee and convenience fee for online payment.

DFA officials happily reported that passports are now being delivered right to the client’s residence through a third-party courier service, so the public only needs to relax in the comfort of their homes and wait for the knock at their doors.

Of course, the public is urged to be patient about waiting since courier delivery time may vary from one location to another.

The DFA-Antique Consular Office (CO) was established through the collaboration of the Province of Antique, the Municipality of San Jose de Buenavista, Robinsons Land Corporation, and DFA, with the support and funding of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda and Congressman Antonio Legarda, Jr.

With this undertaking, Antiqueños like Nanay Josefina will no longer have to worry about traveling far and expending more energy and resources just to secure passport services since DFA is now finally within their reach.

With her bags packed and her passport underway, Nanay Josefina is eager not to miss any more trips and is now ready to take on a journey of a lifetime. (AGP/BPS/PIA Antique)