Consul-General in Dubai promises better services for Filipino expatriates

Dubai: The new Philippine Consul-General in Dubai and the northern emirates has assured the Filipino community that they can expect better welfare protection, efficient service from consular staff, and transparency from now onwards.

Consul-General Frank Cimafranca, who arrived in the country on Saturday from The Hague, Netherlands, told members of the media on Wednesday that he will request for additional consular staff to efficiently serve the more than 400,000 Filipino expatriates in Dubai and the northern emirates. Currently, the consulate has 25 personnel, including local hires.

“In a post like Dubai where we have a huge number of Filipino workers, the priority really is the welfare and the interest of our workers here. So I think that will not change regardless of who will be sitting here as consul-general,” Cimafranca said. “We’re trying to request for additional staff.”

Cimafranca said they will also request three more personnel for the Assistance To Nationals (ATN) Section to respond to cases of Filipinos in distress. At present. five ATNs handle all the cases that almost always involve immorality, illicit affairs, illegal recruitment, indebtedness, resulting in incarceration.

“Right now the immediate need is for the Assistance To Nationals. But it’s not only that, we will also request for additional funds because many of these cases end up in court,” Cimafranca said.

Besides getting additional personnel and funding, Cimafranca said he will also request for additional Data Capturing Machines needed for passport renewal applications to cut down the backlog which at present stands at five weeks.

Around 200 to 250 people flock to the consulate daily to get their passports renewed. But this needs to be done through an online appointment system, which, Cimafranca said will also be improved.

“[We aim] to increase this number and eliminate the backlog so that every Filipino who would like to seek an appointment [for passport renewal] can get one right away. So they don’t have to wait for so many days to get an appointment,” Cimafranca said.

The new consul promised to renew the quarterly consulate meetings with the community and the media to ensure transparency. He likewise stressed he would encourage consular staff to be “very courteous at all times, especially to our compatriots” and “at least serve with a smile”.

Prior to assuming his Dubai post, Cimafranca, who holds a degree in economics, served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General of Philippine Embassy in The Hague. He has been in government service for 32 years, which includes overseas assignments in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Geneva.