The Philippine Consulate in Dubai advices Filipinos in Dubai to claim their passports before end of April. The consulate gives warning to cancel hundreds of unclaimed passports by April 30^th that has been issued since September 2012 or earlier.

“Under regulations, unclaimed passports of more than six months from the time we receive them should be cancelled because these are accountable forms. But we give a certain leeway of one year,” Consul General Frank Cimafranca said.

Cimafranca added that they will impose stricter measures for passport renewals and claims. He stressed that the consulate currently processes up to 250 passport applications daily, or 5,000 monthly. The database for passport processing can take up to 12,000 applications.

The consul general has advised Filipinos to know their priorities and avoid “Mañana (Mamaya Na) Habit”.

 “I advise them to book their appointments for passport renewal even one year before their passports expire. Filipinos have this habit of doing things at the last minute and this should not be the case,” he said.

He noted a steady rise of more than 200 percent in passport applications for December, January and February compared to the same period last year.