RP E-passport launched

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On Aug 11th the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) launched the Philippine ePassport.

The ePassport’s security features have been enhanced with a hidden encoded image, an ultra-thin, holographic laminate; and a tamper-proof electronic microchip.

Despite its advanced security features, the Philippine ePassport will be available for a fee of P950, making it one of the lowest-priced ePassports in the world.



President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the first recipient of the e-Passport with serial number EA0000001.

Filipino passport applicants may still choose between the ePassport OR the machine readable passport (MRP) currently priced at P500.

Application for the ePassport will be on appointment basis.


More informations and details:

DFA

BusinessWorld

MB

businessmirror

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DFA has launched an online appointment system to apply for the new e-passport. This is the link to the passport application appointment system. Just fyi ...

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And when you apply for your passports, it`s much recommended to be very correct with your personal data. Bad example below:

Woman gets 47 years over travel documents

A Manila court has sentenced a woman to 47 years in prison for making false statements in her passport application and forging supporting documents in her application for a United States visa.

In a decision dated March 6, 2009, that was promulgated last week, Manila Trial Court Judge Nina Antonio Valenzuela found Maria Fe Cruz Aquino, alias Preciosa Cruz Aquino, guilty of seven counts of violation of Republic Act 8293 or the Philippine Passport Act 1996.

The judge also ordered her to pay a fine of P390,000.

The court said the accused made false statements in her passport application under the name Preciosa Cruz Aquino; and those of Kim Mariel Cruz Aquino and Lenore Coleen Cruz Aquino, two children whom she misrepresented as her own children.

Aquino, said the court, also forged various documents, including a marriage contract between her and one Juanito Aquino; the birth certificates of the two children; and her driver's license.

Among the prosecution witnesses against Aquino was Ted Archibal, vice consul of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the US Embassy.

Archibal told the court that a consular officer had asked him to look into documents submitted by Aquino on November 3, 1997 to support her application for non-immigrant visas.

A verification made by Archibal showed that the National Statistics Office had no records of the marriage and birth certificates submitted by Aquino to the embassy. Archibal reported the incident to the Interpol Division of the National Bureau of Investigation, which later arrested Aquino.

A certification issued by the Land Transportation Office also showed that a license under the name Preciosa Cruz Aquino did not exist in its files.

On the other hand, Aquino denied in court that she submitted falsified documents. In fact, she initially claimed she did not submit any document at all. Later, she testified that the only documents she submitted were the original copies of her Income Tax Return, her own passport and a land title in connection with her business.

She also said that she was married to one Juanito Aquino in 1992 but they separated in 2001. She added that they were childless.

The accused added that she did not know Kim Mariel Cruz Aquino and Lenore Coleen Cruz Aquino. She denied that she was with those children during the interview at the US Embassy. She said she had gone there alone.

But the court concluded that the accused went by two names; and that they were one and the same person.

It added that the accused anchored her defense on denials but "The defense's averments are flimsy as against the positive testimony of Archibal."

Source: Woman gets 47 years over travel documents - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos