Printing now: New passports with upgraded security features

MANILA - The government has started printing out new passports with enhanced security features and an improved design, Malacañang announced.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Monday the new passports have an upgraded microchip security feature that could be used to authenticate the biometric data of its owner.

Made of high-quality materials, the visa pages of the passport showcase scenic locations from the country's regions.

The passport also has a latent design that only can be seen from certain angles, as well as ultraviolet ink watermarks.

The state-run APO Production Unit Inc. prints the document in its high-security plant in Malvar, Batangas.

As previously reported, the Philippine eagle and the wings of the rare Philippine cockatoo will be featured behind the new passport cover while the next pages will have the words of the National Anthem and the preamble of the 1987 Constitution.

The visa pages will meanwhile feature famous landmarks of the Philippine regions such as the Metro Manila skyline, the Mayon Volcano of Bicol, the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, among others.

Changes in Philippine passport was initiated during the Aquino administration but was rolled out during Duterte's term.

Aside from introducing a new passport design, the Duterte administration also wants to extend the validity of the document and shorten the process for its application.

LOOK: What new Philippine e-passports will look like