San Jose Townsfolk Laud President Duterte’s Move for Passport Expiry Extension

Residents of this capital town are praising President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on extending the validity of the Philippine passport from five to 10 years.

His administration, the President said, “shall work towards amendment of that Law to lengthen its validity to ten years.”

This part of his SONA elicited applause from the audience. In the local setting, San Jose townsfolk lauded the pronouncement because it will bring great convenience for Filipinos in general, and for the Antiquenos in particular.

Mrs. Dory Casi-Escartin, a Philippine passport holder but who rarely travels out of the country, is happy with the announcement, more particularly the plan to open more consular offices in provinces/cities. “I’d be very happy if they establish one (consular office) here in San Jose, Antique. It will not only decongest traffic in Metro Manila but those from the provinces will avoid falling in line from early morning up to ‘whenever’ just to apply for that passport.

Mr. Joker Beliran could not agree more because having additional consular offices in the provinces can help passport applicants avoid the rush, the queuing and the hardships, not to mention the expenses if one has to get the document in Metro Manila or in any other major city.

An incoming third year student of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas is glad that passport validity will be extended, saying “I will apply for one before I graduate from college. The extension will guarantee me that I can use my passport for a longer time.”

The same respondent is likewise glad about the creation of the Department of Information and Communication Technology where improvement of the internet speed is prioritized. “I have been utilizing internet in my course at the UP and this one’s a better news. President Duterte is really sincere as he pushes through with his “Pangako ng Pagbabago.”

Eng’r. Lowell Escartin, a San Josenhon who engages in small appliance repair works, narrated he still has to fall in line when doing some transactions with government offices and he welcomes President Duterte’s order to the government offices to use the computer and put up a one-stop building for all transactions.

“I can see that in six years of Duterte’s administration, we will wake up to a different and changed Philippines,” Escartin added. (PNA) LAP/AJP/LPTAMBANILLO/LPT