PH Consulate in SF Delivers 1,389 Consular Services to Filipinos in Washington and Nearby States

PH CONSULATE IN SF DELIVERS 1,389 CONSULAR SERVICES TO FILIPINOS IN WASHINGTON AND NEARBY STATES

San Francisco, USA- In partnership with volunteers from various Filipino American community organizations in Tacoma, Washington, an 11-member team from the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco led by Deputy Consul General Raquel R. Solano conducted a consular outreach mission in Tacoma, Washington on 16-19 March 2024 at the Freedom Room of the Holiday Inn Express in Tacoma Mall, Washington.

Consular applicants waiting to be served

Dual citizenship applicants being processed by Consulate personnel

Consulate staff processing passport applications

The team provided a total of 1,389 services, including overseas voting registration, passport, and dual citizenship, during the 4-day outreach. 513 individuals applied for passports, 540 applied for reacquisition or retention of Philippine citizenship, and 44 obtained legal and notarial services. A total of 292 individuals registered for overseas voting. Applicants who were provided services included Filipinos/Filipino Americans not only from Washington but also from Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon.

U.S. Department of Labor- Wage and Hour Division (DOL-WHD) community outreach and planning specialist  Stephen Yim talks about the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act as well as the programs and services of DOL-WHD

During the outreach, Post also held a briefing on workers’ rights in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in the Washington-Alaska district. DOL-Wage and Hour Division (DOL-WHD) community outreach and planning specialist Stephen Yim and his colleague, Ian Apostol, took turns in talking to the consular applicants about the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act as well as the programs and services of DOL-Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

Atty. Flomy Diza of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines- Northern California (IBP-NorCal) chapter also spoke about the free legal consultations on family and property laws, immigration, bankruptcy, among others, being conducted by IBP-NorCal monthly at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, and offered to provide the same service during the outreach to the applicants.  He also indicated that those with legal concerns in the U.S. or in the Philippines, may contact IBP-NorCal for legal advice through the Consulate.

The outreach in Tacoma was the first consular outreach mission of the PH Consulate in San Francisco for the year 2024. END

Atty. Flomy Diza of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines- NorCal Chapter  talks about IBP’s free legal consultations program