The Department of Foreign Affairs newest Regional Consular Office is now open at the 3rd floor of Ayala Centrio Mall in Cagayan de Oro City.
Dignitaries cut the ribbon to the new DFA Cagayan de Oro Regional Consular Office at Centrio Mall (L-R): CdO RCO OIC Pepe Macud; Asec. Wilfredo C. Santos, Pamela Mendez, Centrio Mall operations manager; Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez; Usec. Rafael E. Seguis & Misamis Oriental Gov. Bambie Emano. (photo by Mike Baños)
“Today, a new chapter begins as we inaugurate the newest DFA office in this part of the country,” said Rafael E. Seguis, DFA undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns during yesterday’s opening rites held at the Centrio Activity Center.
The opening rites was graced by Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) and Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano. Also present were regional directors and heads of offices of local and national government agencies.
“This is a testament to the DFA goal of providing quality and dedicated consular services to our people in Cagayan de Oro and neighboring provinces and regions,” Seguis said. “As we continue to develop an enhance and improve e-passport system in the near future, we are confident that the DFA office here will be able to deliver faster and more effective services that address the needs of OFWs, businessmen, travelers, tourists and students.”
“I am particularly grateful to Congressman Rufus Rodriguez and Gov. Bambi Emano for taking time off from their busy schedules to be able to grace this occasion. Thank you for being with us in this historic event. I now declare the DFA Office in Cagayan de Oro formally “OPEN FOR BUSINESS!”
Misamis Oriental Gov. Bambi Emano, DFA Usec. Rafael E. Seguis and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez enjoy a light moment shortly before the inauguration program for the new Cagayan de Oro Regional Consular Office at Centrio Mall.
Seguis said the DFA Cagayan de Oro Office at Centrio is its 12th mall-based DFA office around the country as the department continues to expand its operations in the shopping malls to provide world class consular services at a convenient and accessible location.
“The decision was not difficult to take to work with Ayala Land Inc. to build a first class passport office for the Kagay-anons and the people of Northern Mindanao. In fact, I am pleased to inform you that under the Public-Private Partnership arrangement, ALI is also hosting the DFA office at the Marquee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga and Alabang Town Center,” he added.
In response, Pamela Mendez, Centrio Mall operations manager, acknowledged Ayala Land Inc’s openness to partner with the DFA for its third consular office.
“This will truly make a difference in delivering more effective consular services to the public,” Ms. Mendez said. “It is also a great honor to be an exponent of the government’s innovative direction to enter into Private-Public Partnership.”
Centrio Mall Operations Manager Pam Mendez turns over the symbolic key to DFA Usec. Rafael E. Seguis representing Ayala Land Inc's. donation of one unit Toyota Innova for the use of the new CdO Regional Consular Office at Centrio Mall.
She said the transfer of the Cagayan de Oro RCO to Centrio Mall is a stalwart collaboration between “our long-established yet expanding corporation and one of our administration’s service-oriented units.”
In addition to making the 500 square meter space available for the new RCO, ALI also donated one unit of Toyota Innova for the use of the new CdO office.
For his part, Wilfredo C. Santos, DFA assistant secretary for consular affairs, acknowledged “the good work of our Regional Consular Office here in Cagayan de Oro City which has been operational since 23 April 1991.”
“Now, under the capable leadership of its current head, Mr. Abdurraheym S. Y. Macud, our RCO personnel are more than ready to continue providing efficient and quality service to the public,” he said. “We are particularly grateful for the presence of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, the Honorable Rafael E. Seguis, who himself is a proud son of Mindanao, particularly hailing from Surigao del Norte.”
The new Cagayan de Oro RCO is located at the 3rdfloor of Ayala Centrio Mall. OIC Macud said the RCO is open from 10am-7pm from Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturday, with no noon break. Thanks to the Data Capturing Machine (DCM) there will no longer be a need for people to queue to get their priority numbers.
OIC Pepe Macud tours the dignitaries around the premises of the new Cagayan de Oro RCO. at Ayala Centrio Mall.
“Theoretically the DCM can only handle 350 transactions a day but we do not see this happening anytime soon,” he said. “As of the moment, we are not yet accepting express handling of passports only regular processing which will take 30 working days and cost only P950.00”
Santos said the opening of RCO Cagayan de Oro at Ayala Centrio was made in view of DFA’s commitment to offer efficient services “to those who matter most to us and whom we serve wholeheartedly: The Filipino People.”
“Our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Albert F. del Rosario, has called us to serve the public with a smile and to reach beyond our grasp when it comes to the delivery of consular services. We wish to assure you that we will remain faithful in this task.”
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