House OKs bill on simplifying passport process

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill simplifying the passport documentation requirements and giving applicants an option to get a Philippine passport with five or 10 years validity.

House Bill 5854, to be known as the Revised Philippine Passport Act of 2012, amends Republic Act 8239 or The Philippine Passport Act of 1996.

Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara, chair of the House committee on foreign affairs, said the measure would protect a citizen’s constitutional right to travel and create a special body to faster resolve cases of offenses relating to the issuance, possession, use, suspension and revocation of passports—including the illegal confiscation of passports by some overseas job recruiters.

It imposes stiffer penalties on cases of passport fraud and makes syndicated or “massive” forgery as crime of “national sabotage.”

The House bill has yet to be reconciled with a counterpart bill in the Senate before it is submitted for signing into law by the President.

Under the proposed amendment, the government has the duty to issue “tamper-proof” passports using the latest data management technology, as much as practicable, or any travel document to any Filipino who complies with the requirement of the proposed act.

“A Passport, being a proclamation of the citizenship of a Filipino, should be accorded the highest respect by its holders and as such, any act prejudicial to its integrity is a grave crime against the security of the state and should be penalized accordingly,” Bichara said.

The bill will create a Special Board of Inquiry that will handle and adjudicate complaints regarding cancellation of passports and impose penalties against perpetrators of fraudulent and fake passports.

“Offenses relating to issuances of passports or to false statements in any application shall be punished by a fine of not more than P60,000 and imprisonment of not more than 12 years. Offending government officials will suffer perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The bill states that offenses relating to forgery,  mutilation or altering any passport or travel document or department stamps will be punished by a fine of not less than P75,000 but not more than P150,000 and imprisonment of not more than 15  years.

“Forgeries of five or more passports or travel documents in the travel and recruitment industry shall be considered as massive forgery tantamount to national sabotage and punished by a fine of  not more than P1 million and imprisonment of not less than seven years but not more than 17 years,” Bichara said.

The measure details the requirements needed for specific documents for minors, adopted persons, widowed, annulled or divorced women, applicants to be adopted, naturalized citizens and persons who have reacquired Philippine citizenship.

Under the bill, former Senate Presidents, former Speakers of the House of Representatives, Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals, the Secretary of the Senate and the Secretary General of the House of Representatives are added to the short list of those entitled to diplomatic passports.

Diplomatic passports are issued to persons with diplomatic status or who are on diplomatic missions. Official delegates to international, conferences or official missions abroad may be issued diplomatic passports with full powers by the President or the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

On the other hand, “official” Passports are issued to all government officials and employees on an official trip abroad but who are not on a diplomatic mission or have not been accorded diplomatic status.

Muslim Filipinos, traveling for the purpose of Hajj, need not comply with the requirements for the issuance of a regular passport. A Hajj passport is non-renewable and may not be used as a basis for the issuance of a regular passport.

They may be issued a passport valid for three months and for one trip only, upon submission of an endorsement from the Office of Muslim Affairs, a certificate of tribal affiliation and a signed personal guarantee form and joint affidavit of two disinterested persons who are familiar with the birth details of the applicant.