Agreeing with the Duterte’s administration plan of extending validity of licenses and passports, former President Gloria Arroyo has filed a bill to increase the validity of Philippine passports from 5 years to 10 years.
In an interview with InterAksyon, she said “A five-year passport validity is too short.Given the tedious process and cost it requires to obtain or renew a passport.”
The Pampanga Representative who is now 69-years old has filed House Bill 487 with the hopes of amending Section 10 of Republic Act 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996. She defended it saying that it would improve the exercise of every Filipino on his constitutional right to travel.
Furthermore, Arroyo put her proposed measure in Article III Section 6 of the Constitution states 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”. But, she clarified that the extension may be limited in the cases in which there’s a national economic interest or concerns political stability in the country. This is only valid for new applicants or cancelled passports.
Currently, passports costs Php950.00 and takes three weeks to finish; Php1200 if it’s rushed.
Meanwhile, Arroyo is still under the hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City because of a plunder case against her.
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