The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) rejects criticism from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla over the way Philippine visa processing is handled. Multiple outlets report that Remulla calls for visa work to be outsourced to third parties or, in related remarks, for the DFA to stop carrying out visa-issuance functions.
DFA officials respond that visa issuance remains within its mandate and that the agency objects to claims that the process has been turned into a business. Coverage frames the dispute as a disagreement over roles and responsibilities between the Ombudsman and the DFA, with the DFA issuing a formal statement in response.
Across the articles, the shared focus is the DFA’s pushback against removing or changing its visa-issuance functions, while the specific proposal mentioned by outlets ranges from outsourcing processing to stopping the DFA from handling visa applications. The outlets largely agree on the core parties involved—Remulla and the DFA—and on the existence of the DFA’s rebuttal.
