Consular offices’ closure in 10 countries won’t affect diplomatic relations

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang said the closure of Philippine consular offices in 10 countries will not affect the country’s diplomatic relationship with them.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda cited Tuesday the Aquino administration’s “austerity measures and low activity of these offices as the basic fundamental reasons” for shutting down the offices.

“(C)losing down of Consular offices is internal to us, so there is no effect on them [concerned countries], as long as we have presence there…we have diplomatic relations,” said Lacierda.

“The diplomatic relations is not diminished by the cutting down of consular offices in their countries,” said Lacierda.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has announced that Philippine consular offices would be closed down this year in Koror in Palau, Caracas in Venezuela, Barcelona in Spain, Stockholm in Sweden, Dublin in Ireland, Frankfurt in Germany, Havana in Cuba, Saipan, Bucharest in Romania and Helsinki in Finland.

“The DFA decided to close some of the embassies because of budgetary constraints,” said Lacierda.

But Lacierda stressed that despite the closure of the consular offices, the government will still prioritize its efforts of attending to the overseas Filipino workers because “we’re going to have more mobile consular officials” in areas where there are more OFWs.