DFA issues machine-readable passports to govt execs

MANILA, Philippines — With the supply of the old, manually prepared green passports running out, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has started issuing machine-readable passports to Filipino diplomats and other government executives since June 18, an official said Friday.

Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Domingo Lucenario said the DFA will be temporarily issuing the new, maroon-colored passports to the general public starting August.

When the e-passport project goes into full implementation, the machine-readable passports will be upgraded to include electronic chips containing the holder’s biometric information.

The new passport, which costs P500, the same as the old passport, is more secure.

“It is already ICAO-compliant,” he said, referring to the April 2010 deadline imposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Unlike the old passport, in which the name and other personal information is written down, the new passport is similar to foreign visas, in which a sticker containing all these data is stuck to the first page of the passport.

Under an ultraviolet light, this information page reveals the security features that include the seal of the Republic of the Philippines. The picture itself contains the name of the holder and a so-called ghost picture

On the inner pages of the 44-page new passport are also images associated with the Philippines (the sampaguita flower, the Rizal Monument, Mayon Volcano, among others), which can also be seen only under UV light.

The new travel documents are expected to minimize passport irregularities while maximizing international acceptance and credibility.

Source: Inquirer.net