Filipinos in UAE rejoice passport validity extension

Filipinos in the UAE rejoiced over the signing of the law extending the validity of the Philippines passports from five to 10 years.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 10928, which amends RA 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, in Manila on Wednesday.

With the new law, regular Philippine passports will be valid for 10 years, except for Filipinos under 18 years old, who will be issued passports valid for only five years.

"This is definitely a welcome news," Allen Erestain told Khaleej Times. "When I applied for my passport for the first time, it took me hours waiting at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila and I had do it again after five years. Now at least my passport will be valid for 10 years."

Filipino expats in the UAE have long called for the extension of the Philippine passport for economic and practical reasons.

Friends Gay Mendoza, Dan Toledo, Rafael Roxas and Arianne Galamiton all agreed that the passport validity extension will save them time, effort and money in the long term.

"Job well done to our government. I feel valued now as an OFW (overseas Filipino worker) by rewarding our hardship and sacrifices with a simple but meaningful law like that," Mendoza said.

"At least we have 10 years before we can worry that our passport is no longer valid. The workload of those in the DFA and the Philippine Consulate will also be lessened," added Vicente de los Santos.

Malou Prado, managing director and owner of Dubai-based MPQ Tourism, said: "Finally, the government has made it more convenient for us (Filipino expats) because it has always been a hassle to renew our passports every five years."

Meanwhile, Dubai resident Dr Angelo Santos said: "The new passport is better in terms of design. However, I think I'll be happier if they've provided more pages for frequent travellers like me. Design is always secondary, they should have thought and prioritize functionality first before layout and design." Nhel Morona added that the new passport should not be costly.

The DFA has yet to issue the implementing rules and regulations for the law to take effect and reveal how much the new passport will cost.

Source: Khaleej Times