JAN.

16, 2012 DATE

NR # 2650
REF. NO.

House approves measure establishing a Philippine consulate in Sabah

The House of Representatives has recently adopted a resolution urging the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to establish a Philippine consulate in a State in the Federation of Malaysia nearest Sabah to extend support to Filipinos living in Sabah. Rep. Al Francis Bichara (2nd District, Albay), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the measure will ensure the safety and protection of the rights of the Filipinos in Sabah. House Resolution 204 was co-authored by Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Party-list, Bagong Henerasyon). Bichara said the Philippine Consulate near Sabah shall facilitate and expedite the processing of documentation requirements of the Filipinos in Sabah. Bichara said some 350,000 undocumented Filipinos living in Sabah will benefit from the establishment of the Philippine consulate. The government, through the proposed consulate, can closely monitor the condition of detained nationals and other Filipinos who are in need of assistance, Bichara said. The Filipinos in Sabah, who account for 30 percent of the islands population, face myriad concerns which include, among others, detention, trafficking, and labor problems necessitating critical assistance from the Philippine government, Bichara said. It is difficult for Filipinos in Sabah to request for travel documentation and seek assistance from the Philippine government since the nearest Regional Consular Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs is in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur which is approximately 400 miles away, Bichara said. Bichara said the nearest Philippine Embassy is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which is 1,000 miles from Sabah. Bichara also said that the Filipinos living and working in Sabah who wish to request for documents incur additional expenses for travel, food and lodging while waiting for the requested documents. Bichara urged the DFA to hold mobile passport service in Sabah while awaiting the establishment of a consulate in the area. Bichara said the proposed Philippine consulate in Sabah can retain 25 percent of the income derived from documentation and passport processing operations of Filipinos which can be utilized for assisting Filipinos who are working and residing in Sabah. Sabah is one of the 13-member states of Malaysia, located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo, where the country has a dormant claim over much of the eastern part of the

JAN. 16, 2012 DATE

NR # 2650
REF. NO.

territory. (30) jsc