Philippine Passport Validity To 10 Years?
Philippine Passport Validity – Senator Ralph Recto recently filed a bill to lengthen the validity of the Philippine passport from five years to 10 years.
The bill Recto submitted, it will amend Section 10 of the Republic Act 8239 or the Philippine Passport of 1996, to make the validity of the passport lengthened to 10 years.
According to a report by Inquirer, Recto’s proposal was intended to spare overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the hardships of renewing their passports.
“Most OFWs are allowed to return to the Philippines from two weeks to a month while the processing of applications and renewal of passports can take from ten to fifteen days—not including the waiting period for an appointment, “ Recto said as quoted in the report.
But, the reelected senator said that the said bill is not applicable to minors because the requirements of international conventions state that minors must only be issued with five-year passports.
Recto’s bill gives the Department of affairs to limit the validity one’s passport to less than 10 years if found having inadequate supporting documents or is suspected being a threat to national security or the public’s safety.
Also, after President assumed office, he ordered the DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay to address the long-time passport application process.
Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also filed House Bill 487 in the House of Representatives which also wants to extend the Philippine passport validity to 10 years.
The Philippine passport, in case people did not know, is a travel document and a primary national identity document being issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the citizens of the Philippines. Commonly, the covering is colored maroon.
Will the validity of the Philippine passport become a reality? What do you think will happen next once the passport would be valid for 10 years??
Share us your thoughts in the comments below.