Communications Sec. Martin Andanar announces the printing of new passports starting Tuesday.
The Malacañan Palace announced the start of the printing process of the new passports with enhanced security features and a more improved design.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the printing of new passports started on Tuesday.
The new passports have an improved design that features the regions of the country and an upgraded microchip security feature to capture the personal data of the applicant, invisible UV fluorescent ink and thread, and elaborate design when subject to UV light.
The state-run APO Production Unit Inc. prints the document in its high-security plant in Malvar, Batangas.
the Philippine eagle and the wings of the rare Philippine cockatoo will be featured behind the new passport cover while the next pages will have the words of the National Anthem and the preamble of the 1987 Constitution.
The visa pages will meanwhile feature famous landmarks of the Philippine regions such as the Metro Manila skyline, the Mayon Volcano of Bicol, the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, among others.
The next pages will have the words of the National Anthem and the preamble of the 1987 Constitution.
Changes in Philippine passport was initiated during the Aquino administration but was rolled out during Duterte’s term.
The e-covers which contain the chip were assembled in Europe, while booklet printing was done by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the personalization by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The BSP had awarded the passport printing project to the French firm Oberthur Technologies.
The DFA then decided to outsource the passport booklet production and personalization with the assistance of recognized government printers, having experienced a backlog and delays in delivery of passports to applicants, a problem which Former Pres. Benigno Aquino III himself had recognized.
Aside from introducing a new passport design, the Duterte administration also wants to extend the validity of the document and shorten the process for its application.