By Daisy CL Mandap
 |
| Screen grab from Cayetano's live announcement on FB |
The validity of Philippine passports will be extended to 10
years starting Jan. 1, 2018, from the current five, at no additional cost. Only
those who are under 18 years old will still be issued five-year passports.
This was announced live on Oct 25 by Foreign Secretary Alan
Peter Cayetano through his Facebook account, as he signed the implementing
rules and regulations of the new Philippine Passport Act.
Cayetano said the two-month grace period will allow the
government to notify agencies abroad about the change in the passport’s
validity.
He also said the passport cost will remain the same because
the same booklet will be issued,
meaning, it will have the same number of pages and look.
This means that in the Philippines, the passport will still
cost Php950 for regular processing or delivery within 15 working days (and
P1,200 for express, or 7-days processing) and overseas, it will remain at US$60
($480 in Hong Kong).
The announcement will likely appease overseas Filipino
workers, including those in Hong Kong , who had
warned against increasing the passport’s cost.
OFWs have long bewailed that the cost of the passport
overseas is already 324 percent more than it does in the Philippines , adding to their
economic burden.
Cayetano also announced that the appointment system will
remain, except for certain categories of applicants who can just walk in,
including senior citizens, persons with disability, OFWs and minor children
with their parents and siblings.
In places like Hong Kong and London, he said an appointment
system was necessary because most OFWs are able to go out only on Sundays, and
they should have an assurance that they will be accommodated when they go to
the Consulate to apply for a new passport.
On regular days when there are fewer people applying for
passports, he said an appointment will not be necessary.
The new passport law was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte
last Aug. 2, but could not be implemented without the IRR.
About three million Filipinos reportedly apply for new passports,
or renew the ones they already have, every year.
