The new Government Services Centre in the peninsula, located on the ground floor of the Mong Son social rental housing estate, was inaugurated by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai yesterday morning, after which it came into service at noon.
The inauguration ceremony started at 10:30 a.m. yesterday. After Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President Chao Wai Ieng delivered a speech, Sam unveiled the new service centre’s inaugural plaque, accompanied by Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon.
After the ceremony, Sam toured the centre, accompanied by Cheong, Chao and other officials, during which he was briefed by staff members on site about its facilities and services.
Macau has two Government Services Centres, one in the peninsula and the other one in Taipa. The two Government Services Centres are one-stop facilities where various government entities run their respective service counters so that those needing services from different public entities can complete public administrative formalities “at one place in one go”.
The two Government Services Centres are managed and operated by the Municipal Affairs Bureau.
The peninsula’s new Government Services Centre that came into operation at midday yesterday is located on the ground floor of the new social rental housing estate built on the plot of the former CEM power station on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais (慕拉士大馬路).
The new social housing estate comprising three blocks is known as Mong Son Building (望信樓).
Avenida de Venceslau de Morais serves as a dividing line between Areia Preta and Mong Ha districts.
The new service centre has replaced the previous one located opposite the Luso-Chinese Vocational and Technical School in Areia Preta district.
The previous service centre, located on Rua Nova da Areia Preta (黑沙環新街), closed for good on Friday evening.
In his speech delivered during yesterday’s inauguration ceremony, Chao said that the previous Government Services Centre in Areia Preta had served over 10 million people since it opened in 2009. After its relocation to Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, Chao said, the government expects various public entities to be able to provide the public with more convenient and better-quality services in a more comfortable ambiance.
Chao also said that the government expects the new service centre to provide the public with high-quality one-stop services.
Chao underlined the government’s commitment to adhering to its people-orientated approach while building a more efficient system for providing residents with more convenient public administration services.
The new service centre is equipped with 57 service counters, providing over 300 services from 24 public entities, comprising nine areas of services, namely identity documentation, public works and commercial affairs, municipal affairs, social affairs, social security matters, various types of registration services, taxation, notarial services, and residency and stay-permit affairs.
The 24/7 government self-service centre set up in an area of the new Government Services Centre provides over 60 self-service options from various government entities. In addition, a part of the new 24/7 self-service centre is used for a “cross-border self-service area”, which is equipped with a kiosk for handling various public administration services in Guangdong Province and a kiosk for handling services related to commercial matters in Hengqin.
After today, i.e., the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, a public holiday, the new service centre’s opening hours will remain unchanged from the previous one, namely between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays. It will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
In addition to Sam, Cheong and Chao, yesterday’s inauguration ceremony was also attended by officials such as Sam’s chief-of-cabinet Chan Kak, Cheong’s chief-of-cabinet Lam Chi Long, Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) Director Leong Weng In, Social Security Fund (FSS) President Chan Pou Wan, Legal Affairs Bureau (DSAJ) Acting Director Chow Seak Keong, Identification Services Bureau (DSI) Acting Director Lo Pin Heng, Financial Services Bureau (DSF) Acting Director Daisy Ho In Mui, and Public Security Police (PSP) Deputy Commissioner Ng Sou Peng.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai unveils the new Government Services Centre’s inaugural plaque yesterday, as Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon applauds. – Photos: GCS
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre) listens to a briefing during his tour of the new service centre on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais yesterday.
