Taiwan rep office unveils larger consular hall in Manila as demand grows

Manila, Aug. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines, officially known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), unveiled a larger consular hall in Makati City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday after relocating its consular services to accommodate growing demand amid increasing exchanges between the two countries.

Speaking at an unveiling ceremony for the new facility, Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wallace Chow (周民淦), said the number of Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan has risen from around 150,000 in 2023, when he took office, to over 180,000 this year.

Meanwhile, the number of Filipino university students studying in Taiwan has grown from around 3,000 to over 5,500 as of early this year, Chow added.

Such growth reflects expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, while TECO has also added staff, including personnel handling consular and administrative affairs, he said.

The increase in demand, along with the expansion of staff, made the existing office space insufficient, prompting TECO to relocate its consular hall to a larger space, according to Chow.

The new consular hall, located on the 20th floor of Tower 1 at RCBC Plaza in Makati City, is about 30 percent larger than the previous facility on the building's 41st floor.

It has 230 seats, compared with around 50 at the previous location, according to the office.

Chow said the relocation was aimed not only at providing more space but also at improving visitors' experience when applying for visas and other consular services.

For example, chairs have been installed in front of the service counters so applicants can sit while speaking with staff, rather than having to stand and lean over the counters as they did at the previous facility.

Chow also urged consular staff to match the improved facilities with better service by remaining patient, calm and polite when dealing with applicants.

"What we emphasize now is serving the public and making applicants feel that they are being well taken care of," he said.

While TECO's consular services were already performing well, there was always room for improvement, Chow said, adding that he hopes the office will eventually rank "No. 1 in consular services" among Taiwan's representative offices in Southeast Asia.

As of Tuesday evening, TECO's Google Maps listing had a rating of 3.2 out of five based on 262 reviews. Reviews of its services were mixed, with some users complaining of "rude staff" and a "terrible experience," while others described staff as accommodating and helpful.

The new consular hall will open to the public Wednesday morning.