HOUSE OF RI EPRESENTATIVES

RECEIVED
pare 08 AUG 2016
Republic of the Philippines aoe a0
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE: fee
Quezon City ey: pt
17” Congress | PE TION UNIT
First Regular Session | INDEX SERVICE

HOUSE BILL No. 2682

Introduced by: Representative Raneo E. Abu
2” District, Batangas

AN ACT EXTENDING THE VALIDITY OF PHILIPPINE PASSPORTS FROM FIVE
(5) TO TEN YEARS (10) BY AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8239, THE
PHILIPPINE PASSPORT ACT OF 1996

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Under Article Ill, Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, it is provided
that the right to travel shall not be “impaired except in the interest of national
security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.” As this
constitutional right to travel is inviolable, any citizen of the Philippines is entitled to be
issued a Philippine Passport, which is both a travel and a primary national identity
document, by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Philippine Diplomatic
missions abroad. Accordingly to enhance and protect the unimpaired exercise of
said right to travel of every Filipino, Republic Act No. 8239, or the Philippine
Passport Act of 1996 was enacted. Section 10 of this Philippine Passport Law
prescribes that passports shall be valid for a period of five (5) years.

However, considering the current situations being forced by every Filipino
travel in securing a passport, particularly the inconveniences being experienced by
our Migrant Filipino Workers, a five (5)- year passport validity is rather too short
given the tedious process and cost it requires to obtain or renew a passport. In this
regard, increasing the passport validity will, in effect, lessen the frequency volume of
applications for renewal, and will contribute in reducing, if not eliminating the long
queues at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

This bill, therefore, seeks to enhance the Filipinos’ unimpaired exercise of
their constitutional right to travel by increasing the validity of regular passports issued
from five (5) years to ten (10) years.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earne



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEVETEENTH CONGRESS.
First Regular Session

House BillNo,__ @682

Introduced by Representative RANEO E. ABU
2" District, Batangas

AN ACT
EXTENDING THE VALIDITY OF THE PHILIPPINE PASSPORT FROM FIVE
(5) YEARS TO TEN (10) YEARS BY AMENDING SECTION 10 OF THE
“PHILIPPINE PASSPORT ACT OF 1996”

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8239, otherwise known as
the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, is hereby amend to read as follows:

“Sec. 10. Validity. - Regular passports issued under this Act shall
be valid for a period of ten (10) years: Provided, however, that the
issuing authority may limit the period of validity to less than ten (10)
years; whenever in the national economic interest or political stability of
the country such restriction is necessary: Provided, finally, that a new
passport may be issued to replace one which validity has expired, the
old passport being returned to the holder after cancellation.

Sec. 2. All laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, letters of
instruction, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Sec. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,