Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo supported the move of the Senate to enhance the current Philippine Passport Law.
It is in line with the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) thrust to further improve the passport application process by simplifying procedures, especially in terms of accessibility to general public, Manalo told Senator Imee Marcos during the organizational meeting of her Senate foreign affairs committee.
The DFA goes into a third generation of Philippine passport.
There are three bills filed relating to the passport issue.
During the meeting, DFA officials also turned down a Senate bill authored by Senator Raffy Tulfo seeking to give senior citizens ‘’lifetime’’ passports.
They said that the durability and appearance of passports should not be more than 10 years and that no country has extended lifetime passports to its citizens.
They said that the International Civil Aviation, a specialised agency of the United Nations, recommends the issuance of passports up to 10 years only.
The DFA said its appointment 800,000 slots for passport applicants starts in March, 2023.
There are some slots in October, they added.