As from October 1 2008, ALL previous personal details registered by British ex pats with The British Embassy in Manila will be scrapped. This is because of LOCATE the new Foreign & Commonwealth Office system for recording British subjects' overseas destinations and dates of travel. The new system was brought in after the F&CO debacle in Thailand at the time of the Tsunami there.
The new registration scheme has been primarily designed to accommodate tourists (holidaymakers) and business travelers. The registration lasts for ONLY 10 months and for for it to be effective, travel details must be renewed before any overseas visit is made,
LOCATE is not designed for ex pats, nor can the registration form accommodate them without having to include fictitious data. Despite many objections from various consulates around the World, The F&CO went ahead. I have sent a paper to William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary asking for his intervention
Destroying personal details is a negative step. The British Consul in Manila claims her staff contacted all whose details were being held as at January 1 2008. That does not seem to be so. She also claims newspaper advertisements have been taken out to advise British subjects living in The Philippines of this. Again I have failed to find one who has seen them.
