News and other views
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed on Wednesday Republic Act (RA) 10928 extending the validity of Philippine passports from five to 10 years. The new law states that the issuing authority may limit the validity to less than 10 years whenever national economic interest or political stability is at stake.
Individuals under 18 years of age will still be issued passports with only five-year validity. (Gary Lising asks why citizens 18 years and below who have longer life span must have passports with shorter validity than those 80 years old and above who have shorter longevity.)
Department of Foreign Affairs will issue the implementing rules and regulations of RA 10928. There is yet no mention of the new fees for the new 10-year passports.
Some quarters may want twice the value for the same price; and some politicians support this populist initiative. But it is only logical to charge double the present fee for twice the longevity. In this day and age when prices can only go north, it is peculiar to expect DFA to discount its services. DFA at present collects 1950 on passports (11,200 in case of expedited service); and this comes with the protection of the Philippine Foreign Service for nationals in predicament.
To compare, the fee for a US visa on single entry is $160 (18,000); $190 (19,500) for transit workers; and $265 (113,250) for fiancée visa. (All fees are collected upon application. No refund in case of denial.)
*** The Land Transportation Organization has also extended the driver’s license from three to five years. If the LTO is still not able to issue the plastic license card because of its unresolved issue against the supplier; it may mean a longer wait to receive the plastic license of 5-year validity.
These extensions of lifespan on passports and driving licenses are anti-red tape measures to cut the queues and the time in applying for essential documents for millions. *** An idea whose time has come is Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto’s Senate Bill 1483 for the Fiscal and Monetary Report Act of 2017. The bill calls for concerned government agencies to appear twice a year before Congress to report on the state of our economy. The first appearance in March will dwell on past years’ performance; the second one in September will assess the first semester gone by. Both will provide outlooks for the rest of the year. They will give Congress the fresh perspective of the promise and target of the concerned agencies. Not all of the economic managers need to appear, only the secretary of finance, the governor of the Central Bank, the NEDA director general, and the secretary of the DBM.
*** Senator Richard Gordon filed Senate Bill 1397, the “Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act of 2017.” The bill is meant to secure and safeguard the citizenry from the ruinous and extremely injurious effects of crime and fatal accidents, particularly those caused by motorcycles/scooters.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Likewise, motorcycles don’t kill people; people do. I remember the famous ad of a motorcycle brand to counter the Hell’s Rider image, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda.”
*** 1140-B loans from China. $200 M in ‘panda’ bonds by October or November — News item.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez wants to borrow 1140 billion from China on top of 16 billion in grants for infrastructure projects. Since grants will not be paid back, these will not carry any interest, Dominguez said. (Should I be suspicious, if there is something funny about that statement?) Is the 16-billion grant sweetener the point of entry for the 1140-billion loan to be sourced from China?
Asked if Chinese contractors and workers would be given priority for projects funded by China, Dominguez explained that the protocol for the tied financing portion is for the Chinese government to propose three qualified bidders from among whom PH will choose the winning supplier. As for construction workers, he assured strict compliance with Philippine laws, which prescribe that work permits for foreign workers are only for highly skilled or highly technical or managerial positions.
Secretary Dominguez told the House Appropriations Committee that the government will also float $200 million in panda bonds in China in October or November. (Panda bonds are yuan-denominated debt paper issued in China by foreign governments or companies.) Furthermore, PH is negotiating for the Chinese government to charge interest lower than 2 percent a year on the loans.
*** DOLE reported that China plans to hire Filipino household service workers (HSWs) at high salaries. Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say said Chinese embassy officials came to explore the possibility of deploying Filipino HSWs at China’s five major cities. “It will be limited to five major cities, among them Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen. They are looking at the possibility of a 1100,000 monthly pay for the HSW.” A delegation from China will visit the country in September for further negotiations on HSWs to China.
When we were young, those welloff had Chinese amahs. I wonder if it is a status symbol for Chinese homes to have a Filipino domestic these days?
*** FRENCH LEAVE? French Ambassador Thierry Mathou ended his tour of duty in the Philippines last Friday, July 2. The French embassy said the ambassador had to leave for Paris right away and regrets not having enough time to say goodbye and personally thank everyone for the support, warmth, and enthusiasm extended to him since his arrival in the Philippines in September, 2015.
The good news is that Ambassador Mathou assumes his new post as director for Asia and Oceania at France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and he may have the opportunity to return to the Philippines on official visit quite soon under his new responsibilities. FEEDBACK: