PASSPORT LAW | Lawmakers push to print Philippine map with EEZ and Sabah on passports

August 21, 2020 , 01:19 PM

(August 21, 2020) – Lawmakers on Thursday proposed to print the country’s map on Philippine passports, which will show its claims on territories within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah, a move that could heighten regional tensions with its neighbors.

Lower house lawmakers also proposed a 32 percent discount on passport services for senior citizens in a bill amending the country’s antiquated passport law.

“The inclusion of the map on our travel document is a strong statement that we are asserting our sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea and our EEZ,” said Congressman Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, the principal author of House Bill 6399, which will amend the Passport Law.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved on Thursday on the substitute bill that will require the printing of the country’s map “to emphasize and insist on our victory on the West Philippine Sea over China in the International Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands, and our legal and historical rights over Sabah.”

The arbitral court ruled four years ago to confirm the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone, against China’s territorial claims. But Beijing refused to acknowledge the ruling and insisted on pursuing bilateral cooperation.

The Philippines also has claims on Sabah in eastern Malaysia on the northern part of Borneo, insisting the territory belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo and the Malaysians were even paying rent to the heirs of the sultan.

But the proposal would surely draw protests from China, Malaysia and other claimant states in the South China Sea, particularly from Taiwan. The Philippines has protested Chinese passports which also printed its claims on the South China Sea.

Local officials and a congressman also filed cases against two Chinese investors and their three Filipino-Chinese partners for mislabeling a beauty product, which identified Manila as a province of the People’s Republic of China (PROC).

The substitute bill would also grant a massive discount for senior citizens for passport services, which includes the mandatory 20-percent price cut, plus the 12-percent value added tax exemption on medicines.

Senior citizens would also be allowed to apply or renew their passports online, doing away with personal appearances.

Lawmakers said they dedicated the amendments to honor the late Congressman Francisco Datol of the Senior Citizens Party-list, who died recently.

“He was vice chairman of the committee and was author of a bill to give a lifetime validity of passports issued to senior citizens,” Rodriguez said.

The bill would also mandate the provision of an emergency travel document for Filipinos with urgent travel but have either expired or lost passports.

(Katrina Elaine Alba/MM)

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