House proposes 10-year passports

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has proposed that passports be good for 10 instead of five years.

The proposal is contained in Bill 5854, which lawmakers have approved on third and final reading. The measure seeks to amend the Philippine Passport Act of 1996.

Under the bill, a Filipino applying for a passport would have the option of choosing either a five-year or 10-year validity of his travel document.

Authors of the measure said this would obviate the need for passport holders, particularly those frequently traveling abroad or those working abroad for long periods, to renew their passports every five years.

The bill also expands the list of former and incumbent officials who can apply for diplomatic passports.

The expanded list would include former Senate presidents, former Speakers of the House of Representatives, associate justices of the Supreme Court, presiding justice of the Court of Appeals, secretary of the Senate, and secretary-general of the House.

The current law does not entitle these former and incumbent officials to diplomatic passports. Only former presidents and vice presidents are given such privilege.

The proposed new passport law imposes stiff penalties for crimes involving the issuance of such travel document.

For instance, an applicant who makes a false statement in his application faces a P60,000 fine and a prison term of not more than 12 years.

For forgery, mutilation or alteration of a passport, the imposable penalties would be a fine ranging from P75,000 to P150,000 and imprisonment of not more than 15 years.

Forgeries of five or more passports or travel documents would be considered massive forgery punishable with a fine of not more than P1 million and imprisonment of up to 17 years.

Among the authors of the bill are Al Francis Bichara of Albay, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora, Eduardo Gullas of Cebu, Mel Sarmiento of Western Samar, and Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya.