(Eagle News)– With a vote count of 18-0-0, the Senate on Monday (May 15) approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 1365 or the Philippine Passport Act extending the validity of Philippine passports from five years to 10 years.
The bill was authored by Senators Richard Gordon, Cynthia Villar, Ralph Recto, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Sonny Angara, Joel Villanueva, Grace Poe, and Alan Peter Cayetano.
Under the bill, regular passports shall be valid for a period of 10 years. Those who are 18 years old and under, however, shall be issued passports with a five-year validity.
The 10-year validity is also in keeping with the standard practice in other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.