Philippine Embassy Rolls Out Improvements to Consular Services
Ambassador Laurel and Consul General Bolivar inspect the renovation of the Consular Section.
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo recently completed a series of projects to strengthen its capabilities to provide quality consular service to Filipinos in Japan.
The year-long initiative, which began in 2018, culminated in the renovation of the Consular Section staff work area and the construction of an interview and counseling room for distressed Filipinos. This is the first time the Embassy has a dedicated assistance-to-nationals facility.
In a statement, Philippine Ambassador to Japan, Jose C. Laurel V, noted that “there is a growing number of Filipinos living and working in Japan, as well as the steadily increasing number of Filipino tourists visiting this country. As such, it is crucial for the Embassy to be well-equipped and staffed to be able to better serve our kababayans.”
The newly renovated Consular Section enables the Embassy to provide better service to its public.
Minister and Consul General Robespierre Bolivar, who initiated and supervised the project, explained that “in order to strengthen our capabilities to provide quality service to our public, we undertook a series of improvements, beginning in May 2018. Among these improvements include the hiring of additional personnel, activation of dedicated assistance-to-nationals hotlines, installation of a new public address and client service number system, streamlining of consular processes, digitization of consular records to improve client management, and a proactive social media presence through infographic advisories. Our main project, which we completed in May 2019, was the renovation of the staff work area of the Consular Section, including the reorganization of work spaces, and the construction of an interview and counseling room where we can assist to Filipinos in distress while ensuring their privacy and comfort.”
Since the roll out of the project, the Embassy’s client feedback rating has considerably improved and many consular applicants have commended the Embassy in writing for the various improvements it has undertaken.
Serving Filipinos overseas is one of the pillars of Philippine foreign policy.
There are now almost 300,000 Filipinos living and working in Japan. In 2018, over half a million Filipino tourists visited Japan.
