Travel Agencies were recently used by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in Davao to help alleviate the traffic in their Regional Office by allowing these agencies to accept applications for Certificates (Birth, Marriage, etc). However due to complaints of victimization from the public, the NSO has temporarily stopped the accreditation of these tour and travel operators to process NSO applications.
There are currently 30 travel agencies in Mindanao that are accredited to accept applications for NSO processing.
Due to the fact that the Davao National Statistics Office is swamped by almost 2000 applicants each they, forced them to think of better ways to serve the public. The current NSO Office that is located in the Uyanguren district is swamped daily by people getting their certificates.
In the Philippines, almost any dealing will require you to present your birth certificate. But due to unscrupulous individuals who’ve made an industry of falsifying birth certificates, most establishments that have required for Birth Certificates that have the NSO verified seal at the back.
With the recruitment of Travel Agencies to accept NSO certificate applications, the scope of responsibility for these travel experts has expanded to just the regular airline booking, tour guide service and hotel booking.
With the advent of online booking systems that people can use to conveniently book their flights and search for cheap airline tickets and cheap hotel accommodations, travel agencies have to start thinking for the future on how to earn their keep. With an increasingly “web lifestyle” oriented populace, wherein all travel and accommodations needed for either a holiday or a business trip can be done easily without their help, travel agencies may soon be a shrinking market venture.
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