LA consular appointment system back online

MANILA – The online appointment system of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Los Angeles (LA), California is back online but slots are still limited due to health and safety protocols, an official reported on Thursday.

“It’s back online but slots are still limited due to health and safety protocols. Admittedly, the demand is far greater than the capacity for LA PCG to operate safely,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said.

Members of the Filipino community earlier expressed concern and dismay as the PCG’s online appointment system crashed due to unusually high web traffic over the President’s Day weekend (Feb. 15, 2021).

Dulay said the system crashed after getting about 400,000 hits in a span of a few hours.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. said the consulate has immediately requested the web hosting service provider to increase the server’s capacity to accommodate the high volume of website visitors.

It said the consulate has taken steps to address the surge in demand for consular service and increased the number of daily appointment slots to 70 for passport issuance from 40 per day.

It also increased to 16 to 22 the slots for dual citizenship appointments for March and April 2021. Slots for consular notarization, on the other hand, remain at 20 per day.

“This is the maximum number of people that the Consulate can accommodate with the health safety protocols currently in place to contain the pandemic,” the embassy said.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington D.C. Jose Manuel Romualdez, meanwhile, appealed for the public’s understanding and patience.

“The demand for consular services remains at an elevated level while our capacity to operate and deliver is severely hampered by stringent health protocols. We appeal for the public’s patience and understanding as we do our best to deliver the best service that they deserve,” he said.