The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday, Oct. 26, pushed back against Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla's proposal to strip the DFA of its visa-issuing powers and outsourcing this to private providers instead.
The DFA said Remulla's remarks "undermine the institutional integrity of the Department and unfairly malign the reputation of the Philippine Foreign Service and its personnel."
In the first place, the DFA said its visa-issuing "mandate is grounded on both domestic law and international convention."
The DFA cited Section 21(3), Chapter 7 (The Foreign Service), Title I, Book IV of Executive Order No. 292, or the Administrative Code of 1987, which it said "expressly recognizes visa issuance as a statutory consular function."
"Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) of 1963, Article 5(d) provides for the issuance of visas or appropriate travel documents as a consular function, while Articles 3 and 70 recognize the exercise of consular functions by diplomatic missions," the DFA added.
According to the DFA, "contrary to the characterization of visa processing as a merely clerical function, the issuance of visas involves substantive assessment of applications and verification of documents."
These responsibilities, the DFA said, "require the exercise of official judgment pursuant to the applicable Philippine laws, rules and regulations, and cannot be reduced to just the administrative receipt and processing of documents."
"The Department recognizes that administrative support services may be provided by third parties such as VFS, primarily in the receipt of applications. Such outsourcing of administrative services does not mean the transfer of sovereign authority to approve or deny visas. This authority remains a governmental responsibility, as exercised by the Philippine Embassies and Consulates," the DFA said.
As for the imposition of visa fees, it said this was also "pursuant to applicable laws and regulations, including the prescribed Schedule of Fees."
"The DFA does not tolerate corruption and remains committed to accountability, transparency and utmost professionalism in the delivery of public service," it said.
"The DFA will continue to faithfully discharge its statutory responsibilities and uphold the integrity of Philippine visa issuance in the best interest of the country and the Filipino people," it added.
