Taiwan Representative Office Expands Consular Hall in Manila Amid Rising Demand

Manila: 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. According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wallace Chow, highlighted the rise in the number of Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, which increased from around 150,000 in 2023 to over 180,000 this year. Additionally, Filipino university students studying in Taiwan have grown from around 3,000 to over 5,500 as of early this year. Chow emphasized that this growth reflects expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. The increase in demand necessitated relocating TECO's consular hall to a larger space due to the expansion of staff, including personnel handling consular and administrative affairs. The new consular hall, located on the 20th floor of Tower 1 at RCBC Plaza in Makati City, is approximately 30 percent larger than the previous facility on the building's 41st floor. It features 230 seats, a significant increase from the previous location that accommodated around 50. Chow stated that the relocation aims to provide more space and improve the experience for visitors applying for visas and other consular services. Chairs have been installed in front of the service counters, allowing applicants to sit while interacting with staff, unlike the previous setup where they had to stand and lean over the counters. Chow encouraged consular staff to enhance their service quality, emphasizing the importance of 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. Despite already performing well, Chow acknowledged room for improvement in TECO's consular services, expressing his hope that the office will eventually rank "No. 1 in c onsular services" among Taiwan's representative offices in Southeast Asia. As of Tuesday evening, TECO's Google Maps listing showed a rating of 3.2 out of five based on 262 reviews. Feedback on its services was mixed, with some users citing "rude staff" and a "terrible experience," while others described the staff as accommodating and helpful. The new consular hall will open to the public on Wednesday morning.