GOOD NEWS Filipino travel community!
Last 2 August 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 10928 amending Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8239, commonly known as the Philippine Passport Act of 1996.
RA 10928 extends the RA 8239 5-year passport validity provision to 10 years. Note that this this only applicable to Filipino citizens 18 years old & above. Filipinos under 18 years old at the time of application will be issued passports with 5-year validity.
The republic act also mentions, “That the issuing authority may limit the period of validity to less than ten (10) years, whenever in the national economic interest or political stability of the country such restriction is necessary.“
It also states that the act will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper.