Philippine consulate is yet to open shop

This was stated by DFA Under-Secretary Rafael Seguis when asked to comment on the delay of having a fully operational consulate general in Dubai following its inauguration on April 6 by DFA Secretary Delia Domingo-Albert.

"The department is just waiting for the budget, and will deploy a certain number of staff for the consulate," he told Khaleej Times, adding that DFA under-secretary for administration Franklin Ebdalin would be able to elaborate on the status of the budget and staffing pattern. The latter could not immediately be reached for comment yesterday, being a non-working day in Manila.

The same reason - budgetary constraints - was reiterated by Consul General Generoso Calonge in his informal breakfast meeting with the Filipino community on June 12.

"As I have stated in that meeting, it's beyond my control. It's not for me to decide to conduct full services at the consulate. We will have to wait for some time for the budget. As you are aware, the tallying of votes for president and vice-president are ongoing at the Congress," said the consul general who is currently on leave in the US.

Mr Calonge earlier stated he will assume his duties as consul general at the consulate in Dubai by August or September. He expects to have a seven-man consulate staff, including a consul.

Till date, the consulate offers consular services to Filipinos in Dubai and the Northern Emirates on every Thursday. A consular team travels all the way from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to conduct such services such as passport renewal, authentication and attestation of documents, as well as counselling. One source remarked: "Opening a consulate is a commitment that has been made by the DFA. It's like opening a shop and then turning away customers as it does not have anything to sell or manpower to operate it. We hope this could be looked into."

Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, Mr Seguis, who recently attended 31st OIC Foreign Ministers Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, disclosed that a criteria for sovereign states applying for observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) will be drawn up by an inter-governmental expert group.

He explained that the OIC merely deferred the Philippines' bid for an Observer status, citing procedural reasons.

"This criteria will be coming out very soon this year. Currently, the criteria for those applying as members and observers are the same. The Philippines application will be evaluated on the basis of that new criteria," he said.

When asked about the prospects of finally being granted an OIC observer status, he said: "We would not like to comment on it, but let me stress that no country has blocked our application for observer status. Libya has been fully supportive of our bid. At the moment, we have to undergo a process."

Mr Calonge, for his part, had earlier told Khaleej Times that he was hopeful that the UAE would back the country's bid for an observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

In a Press statement, DFA Secretary Delia Domingo-Albert said at the meeting in Turkey, the Philippines had received expressions of support and a formal endorsement for an observer's seat.

She added that the OIC had recognised that the Philippines was complying with its peace agreements with the rebels and making progress in implementing measures aimed at alleviating economic and social problems within the Muslim minority in the south.