Marilyn Cahatol

Job seekers flock to the Department of Migrant Workers' Kalayaan Overseas Job Fair in Quezon City on Independence Day, June 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

DMW Job Fair

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176466848673820250612-kalayaan-job-fair-MD-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Job seekers flock to the Department of Migrant Workers&#x27; Kalayaan Overseas Job Fair in Quezon City on Independence Day, June 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Job seekers flock to the Department of Migrant Workers&#x27; Kalayaan Overseas Job Fair in Quezon City on Independence Day, June 12, 2025. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised strong reservations on Tuesday during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing tackling three bills seeking to reform provisions of the Philippine passport law, including fee waivers for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), lifetime validity for senior citizens, and the issuance of official passports to national athletes and coaches.</p><p>Appearing before lawmakers, DFA Passport Division Director Laser Blitz Sumagaysay cautioned that all three proposals carry significant financial, logistical, and international compliance consequences, stressing that passport standards are bound by strict global requirements.</p><p>Representative Ryan Recto, principal author of House Bill 5963, argued that OFWs, who remitted USD 38.34 billion in 2024, deserve government assistance through free passports.</p><p>“Waiving the passport fee is a small price for the government to pay in exchange for the tremendous, and in exchange for the sacrifice our OFWs make every day. This initiative helps them allocate scarce resources towards the more immediate and essential needs of their families,” Rector said.</p><p>But the DFA warned that removing passport fees for millions of OFWs would trigger a massive revenue gap.</p><p>“Waiving this minimal amount of passport fee for OFWs would mean a shift in the cost of passport reduction from OFWs to the government or the rest of the population. While recognizing their contributions, it may lead to the elevation of OFWs into a whole different class of passport applicants,” Sumagaysay explained.</p><p>The DFA noted that the Philippines collected P2.05 billion in passport fees from around 2 million issuances in 2023, funds that support passport production and consular operations.</p><p>Lawmakers pointed out that around 10 million Filipinos abroad could eventually seek a free passport under the proposal, a cost the DFA admitted it is unprepared to absorb.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/1/4-pinoys-still-being-accounted-for-after-hong-kong-fire-dmw-1554">4 Pinoys still being accounted for after Hong Kong fire -- DMW</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>LEGISLATORS PUSH FOR MIDDLE-GROUND OPTIONS</strong></div><p>Recto asked whether the DFA would consider partial discounts instead of a total waiver.</p><p>“For first-time OFWs applying for a passport, they can pay the amount. For succeeding renewals, they don&#x27;t have to. Or we can cut the P950 fee by half,” he suggested.</p><p>Committee members instructed the DFA to submit a financial impact study, including per-unit passport production cost, to explore feasible alternatives.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ON LIFETIME PASSPORTS FOR SENIORS</strong></div><p>The DFA also firmly opposed House Bills 41 and 1035, which seek lifetime validity for senior citizen passports.</p><p>Sumagaysay stressed the Philippines cannot break the 10-year maximum validity required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).</p><p>“Under the ICAO guidelines, the validity period of a passport should be 10 years. If a country is not compliant with ICAO regulations for travel documents, then there is a possibility of possible non-recognition in other countries of our passport,” he said.</p><p>He added that longer validity undermines document security due to aging photos, limited durability, and changing appearances of holders.</p><div> </div><div><strong>OFFICIAL PASSPORTS FOR ATHLETES</strong></div><p>Lawmakers also deliberated on House Bill 6107, which seeks to issue official passports to national athletes and coaches.</p><p>The DFA clarified that such passports offer no visa-free privileges, contrary to the belief that they ease travel requirements.</p><p>“Holding an official passport would not actually exempt the passport holder from visa requirements. A regular Philippine passport holder and an official Philippine passport holder would be subjected to the same visa requirements,” Sumagaysay told the committee.</p><p>He added that only diplomatic passports, not official ones, enjoy limited visa exemptions, yet athletes are not eligible under the current law.</p><p>Committee members explored alternatives such as issuing note verbales when athletes compete abroad, which the DFA said is legally possible only if Congress amends the passport law.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/12/1/new-naia-terminal-1-ofw-lounge-opens-ahead-of-holiday-surge-of-up-to-150-000-returning-ofws-1637">New NAIA Terminal 1 OFW lounge opens ahead of holiday surge of up to 150,000 returning OFWs</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jy25J3ukWKU?si=LJArmaZakz2591JX" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised strong reservations on Tuesday during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing tackling three bills seeking to reform provisions of the Philippine passport law, including fee waivers for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).</p>

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised strong reservations on Tuesday during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing tackling three bills seeking to reform provisions of the Philippine passport law, including fee waivers for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

DFA: Free passports for OFWs could strain budget, affect services to other sectors

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DFA: Free passports for OFWs could strain budget, affect services to other sectors

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 02, 2025 05:49 PM PHT

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