The Philippine House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to extend the validity of passports.
Voting 216-0, the lower chamber approved House Bill 4767 which seeks to extend the validity of passports from 5 years to 10 years.
During his first State of the Nation Address last year, President Rodrigo Duterte urged Congress to amend the 20-year-old RA 8239 to make passport renewal more convenient for Filipinos working abroad.
Under the old Republic Act 8239 or the “Philippine Passport Law,” a passport shall only be valid for a period of five years regardless of the age of the applicant.