ILOCOS NORTE - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) formally opened its new consular office at the Robinson’s Mall in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte on Tuesday.

Bishop Renato Mayugba, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Frank Cimafranca, Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, San Nicolas Mayor Alfredo Valdez, and heads of the Robinsons Land Corporation, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cimafranca said the mall-based consular office would be beneficial to passport applicants in Ilocos Norte and nearby provinces as they will no longer go to Baguio City, La Union, and Tuguegarao to process their passports and other consular transactions.

“We are really establishing more strategic locations all over the country kasi we want the DFA to have a bigger reach so we can serve all the corners of the nation,” Cimafranca said.

The new office is the 12th mall-based regional consular office opened under the Public-Private Partnership Program of the government with Robinson’s Land Corporation.

Cimafranca added that the DFA-Ilocos Norte is the first consular office opened this year. Eight more consular offices in different regions of the country will also open soon.

Located at the second floor of the main building of Robinson’s Mall-San Ilocos Norte, DFA-Ilocos Norte is open from Monday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Saturdays, from 10:am to 2:00 pm.