Press Release
14 July 2010

“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still unable to explain why the same passport which can be had for US$20 in the Philippines is priced three times as much for those who are overseas. This is plain and simple extortion. But overpricing it further by US$6 is already robbing our HK-based overseas Filipinos ‘over-the-counter’ by no less than our own government.”

This was declared by Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of the OFW umbrella group United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK) as they complained anew the extra US$6 that the post in Hong Kong is charging on top of the already overpriced passport.

“At HK$510, the new Philippine e-Passport is not only three times as much as its original cost in the Philippines, it is also US$6 more than the fee prescribed by the government for those obtaining passport overseas. The government is obviously extorting from overseas Filipinos big time”, Balladares-Pelaez stated.

Balladares-Pelaez claimed that the e-Passport recently introduced by the DFA at Php950.00 (US$20) is priced thrice as much overseas at US$60. However, they were shocked to learn that the price of e-Passport in Hong Kong at HK$510 (US$66) is even more expensive by as much as US$6.

“With the US$40 on top of the original passport fee, the post in Hong Kong which is processing an average of 500-700 passports a week, is already raking in a whooping US$1.34 million (HK$10.42 million) per year for the foreign ministry. With the extra US$6 per passport, that’s an additional US$201,600 (HK$1.57 million) per year that the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong is extorting from our Hong Kong-based compatriots, majority of whom are domestic workers who are one of the lowest paid sector in Hong Kong”, Balladares-Pelaez averred.

The group said they are still waiting for Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to take immediate action and to finally resolve the overpricing of the Philippine passport issued overseas to ease the financial burden that it is causing specially to the low and middle income overseas Filipino workers.

“We have submitted to President Noynoy not less than 10,000 signatures of our Hong Kong-based compatriots calling for the reduction of the passport fee overseas in line with its original cost in the Philippines. Our fellow migrant workers in Macau, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also clamoring for the same. Are these not enough to catch the attention of President Noynoy?”, Balladares-Pelaez added.

The group said it is mounting an international campaign together with other overseas chapters of MIGRANTE International, its global alliance, to pressure the new administration to lower the passport fee for overseas Filipinos as part of its ten-point agenda for the first 100 days of the new administration.

“President Noynoy should immediately resolve the overpricing of passport overseas as this is within his executive powers and to avoid more overseas Filipinos falling victims to this overpricing scheme in passport fee. He should also call for an investigation as to why the Hong Kong post is overcharging our compatriots by US$6 per passport”, the migrant leader said.

“If the inconvenience caused to the public by abusive government officials using ‘wang-wang’ and ‘blinkers’ caught the attention of our new President, doesn’t the clamor of our overseas Filipinos deserve more if not the same attention and speedy resolution?”, Balladares-Pelaez concluded. (Bulatlat.com)

Reference:
Dolores Balladares
Chairwoman, United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK)

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