The Philippine mission in Riyadh conducted its first Embassy-on-Wheels (EOW) for 2014 in the Eastern Province, providing consular services to 929 Overseas Filipino Workers.

The five-member EOW team, led by Consul-General Marshall Louis Alferez, processed 434 passport applications, 32 passport extensions, 138 notarials, 15 birth reports and nine lost passport services.

On behalf of the embassy and his staff, Alferez thanked the Filipino community in the Eastern Province for their support during the two-day consular service.

The envoy underscored the importance of the consular outreach missions, especially in Al-Khobar, where some 17,000 passports were issued through the EOW in 2013 out of the 72,028 passports issued under the embassy’s jurisdiction.

Alferez called on the Filipino community in the Kingdom to ensure that they obtain online appointments for their passport renewals to prevent obstacles.

He also reminded the Filipino community that effective October 2014, no validity extensions for expired or expiring passports would be granted in accordance with Philippine rules and regulations and the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

He said, “All overseas Filipinos who still hold MRP (green) or MRRP (maroon) passports are urged to renew and obtain ePassports (maroon-colored with chip) before the former are phased out completely by November 2015.”

As part of the embassy’s program to improve its service, the outreach mission also distributed feedback forms to 400 overseas workers, of which 184 responded.

Most of the respondents gave a 60-percent rating (considered excellent) to the EOW service regarding courtesy, promptness, knowledge and ability, comfort, cleanliness and sufficiency.

The next EOW will be held in Buraidah on Friday and Saturday. It will return to Al-Khobar on Jan. 24 and 25 to render consular services at the Al-Jazeera International School in Dammam.