Incompetence at the Canadian embassy in Manila

[Paragone]

Hi, I need advice regarding the citizenship certificate application of my son(my wife is making the application, while I am here in Canada).

Here are the *official* requirements:

1. Completed Application for a Citizenship Certificate;

2. Original birth certificate which lists parents' names. If the certificate is not in English or
French, it must be accompanied by a certified or notarized translation. If born in the
Philippines, then the birth certificate must be issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) or
authenticated by the NSO (if the child is below six months old);

3. Original proof (Canadian birth certificate or Canadian citizenship card) confirming that one or
both of the parents was a Canadian citizen at the time of the applicant's birth;

4. Two (2) pieces of the applicant's personal identification (such as a driver's licence, passport,
provincial health care card, SIN card, SSS Card, Postal ID, etc.), at least one of which
contains the applicant's photo;

5. If available, the original marriage certificate of the parents;

6. Hospital delivery records (if applicable) and pre-natal documents such as ultrasound reports
and record of mother's consultations with the medical practitioner for the duration of the
pregnancy;

7. Parent's Canadian passport showing the relevant entry and exit visa stamps at the time of the
child's conception (For parents who are normally resident outside the Philippines);

8. Two (2) identical photos (Different specifications from Canadian passport photos). See
Citizenship Photographs Specifications;

9. The processing fee.

All of these requirements have been SATISFIED, but they STILL refused the application on the grounds that my wife did not submit my current passport.

My wife only supplied my previous passport(which expired last February) along with a copy of my current passport - which should have been sufficient, considering that my previous passport was the one showing the relevant entry/exit stamps at the time of my son's conception.

I honestly don't know what the logic is in requiring my *current* passport, considering that it is not a necessary document for establishing my identity and citizenship.

And I should add that neither is it an official requirement.

But, through some likely combination of greed, ignorance, incredulity, and incompetence, an arbitrary decision has been made to refuse my son's application.

Without sound justification, this decision has caused my family great inconvenience and undue stress, and is NOT acceptable conduct for any office representing Canada.

And while this is all characteristic of official interactions in the Philippines(I spend more time in the Philippines than in Canada, so I am speaking from experience), Filipinos working in the Canadian embassy need to be reminded that the Canadian embassy is *Canadian* soil, and thus those representing that embassy should conduct themselves in a manner befitting that country's official policies.

To this end, I will be visiting my member of Parliament to issue a complaint, that some of the people working in the embassy are allowing personal agendas to undermine official policy.

My good friend(also a Canadian living in the Philippines) warned me against dealing with Filipinos while visiting the Canadian embassy, but sadly we didn't heed his advice.

Next time it will be different - at least until we are confident that the Filipinos working in the Canadian embassy can conduct themselves with reasonable discretion(which has not been their reputation, thus far).

 

[Paragone]

Dear Minister.

I am a Canadian citizen appealing for advocacy, or advice, from the minister(or someone in his office) concerning a matter of citizenship, in regards to my foreign born son.

He was born in the Philippines a little more than one year ago, and is currently residing there.

Recently, my wife(who resides in the Philippines, and whom I frequently visit) has undertaken the task of acquiring for him his Canadian citizenship, pursuant to his immigration to Canada.

And, to this end, we have tried to satisfy all official requirements, even consulting the consular office in Manila with respect to the necessary documents and procedures.

But, we have found the application stymied by the extraneous scrutiny of embassy workers, purporting to offer service to Canadian citizens.

Specifically, my current passport has been requested in addition to my previous passport, which I left with my wife prior to my departure from the Philippines on my last visit(and which she submitted as an official requirement, to demonstrate the relevant entry/exit stamps coinciding the time of my son's conception).

I also left with my wife a legible copy of my current passport page, which she also attempted to submit, only to be refused.

Since then, all further inquiries to the consular office via email have been met with silence.

Having spent much time in the Philippines, I can attest to a stark cultural divide, where authority, and the pretext of lawful scrutiny, is commonly leveraged for personal gain, and the appeasement of personal ego.

This reputation is well known, and evidenced in the crony capitalism that prevails throughout the Philippines, with only token pretensions to the contrary.

And until the Philippines begins to heed the lessons of their past, or learn from the example of more civilized nations, it will never evolve beyond just another third world cleptocracy.

Which only serves to further the urgency of my son's application - for I do not want him assimilating such a culture, in place of an enlightened one where personal considerations are secondary to the integrity of office, and service - as it is in Canada.

And as it should be.

This is why, I feel it is important to create awareness of what appears to be a culture in the Canadian Embassy in Manila, that conflicts with Canadian values, and the integrity of office.

As it appears that some of those who are tasked with offering service to Canadians, are failing to do so with the integrity, respect, and consideration that a Canadian office warrants.