DFA denies Ombudsman’s claim of visas for sale

MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) denied on Sunday Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s claim that the agency has been profiting from visas. 

Remulla asserted that about 1 percent of Chinese nationals do not return to their home country due to the visa-free entry arrangement in the Philippines. He suggested that they should undergo the screening through VFS Global, an outsourced technology provider.

“The DFA firmly rejects any suggestion that the Department treats passports and visas as commodities for sale. Passport and Visa fees are collected pursuant to the prescribed government Schedule of Fees and form part of government revenue,” it said in a statement. 

“While the provider may provide administrative support in receiving and facilitating visa applications, the DFA reiterates that the authority to assess, approve, or deny Philippine visas is a sovereign governmental function that cannot be transferred to a private entity through an outsourcing arrangement,” the department said.

The DFA added that those misusing the visa-free entry privilege should be investigated by authorities. 

Remulla said he had an altercation with DFA Secretary Tess Lazaro when he raised the issue.

“Kumikita diyan ang DFA through travel agencies na nagpa-process ng mga visa. Ang nagsabi sa’kin niyan a very big Fil-Chi (Filipino-Chinese) businessman in China. Nagreklamo siya sa’kin when I was secretary of justice,” he said on his radio show Executive Session. 

“Harap-harapan ko sinabi sa kanya [Lazaro] ‘yan. I’m not doing this behind her back,” the Ombudsman added.

Remulla also said that the Bureau of Immigration, which is under the Department of Justice, has the authority on visa matters. 

“There’s no other law that gives it to DFA,” he said.

The DFA argued that its visa-issuance authority is lawful, citing the Administrative Code of 1987 which “expressly recognizes visa issuance as a statutory function of Philippine consular offices.” 

“This mandate is further recognized under Articles 3, 5(d), and 70 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which establish visa issuance as a consular function that may be exercised by diplomatic missions,” it noted.

Further, the DFA stressed that it does not issue “fake” passports nor impose documentary requirements that make applications “deliberately difficult.”