Group Slams Hike in Consular Fees in Eurozones

A group of migrant workers are seeking an investigation of new service rates imposed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in nine Philippine embassies and three consul general offices across Europe.

BY(Bulatlat.com)
MIGRANT WATCH

A group of migrant workers are seeking an investigation of new service rates imposed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in nine Philippine embassies and three consul general offices across Europe.

Starting January, the DFA has mandated Philippine embassies in Greece, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Vatican City and Philippine consulates in Spain, Germany and Italy to increase consular service fees.

Migrante International Deputy Secretary General Gina Gaborni said, “Amid the severe impact of the global financial crisis on overseas Filipino workers, the DFA continues to impose unjust increases in rates and add unnecessary fees to extract every centavo that it can squeeze out of the depleted pockets of OFWs.”

These service fees include passport application and renewal, amounting to 50 Euros, which was imposed at the start of 2009. Rates for visa, authentication, notarial and other services were also increased.

“The hikes in service fees will add to the lengthy list of unreasonable fees imposed such as the mandatory insurance, psychological test and COMELEC [Commission on Elections] fees,” Gaborni said.

Gaborni added that migrant workers and Filipino communities in those countries were not consulted about the fee adjustments imposed by the DFA.

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño Jr., Gabriela Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Liza Maza and Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano filed House Resolution 949, “directing committees on overseas workers affairs and foreign affairs to conduct an inquiry into the unreasonably huge increase of consular service fees.”

The legislators maintained that the hike in consular service fees “is unjustified as it only increased the financial burden faced by migrant Filipinos and their families in these times of severe economic crisis.” The resolution further seeks the government to “explain and democratize” the process of adjusting old service rates and imposing new ones.

Gaborni said that while OFWs are directly affected by the global economic crisis in the forms of retrenchments without just compensation and due process, wage depression, unjust policies, and human rights violations, the Arroyo government is hell-bent on selling more OFWs abroad.