News Roundup 16 March 2024
Mar 16, 2024 • 4 min Read
Marcos signs new law for online passport applications in Philippines | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the “New Philippine Passport Act,” designed to modernize passport application processes nationwide.
The law aims to greatly improve accessibility and streamline procedures, especially benefiting senior citizens, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and individuals with special needs or exceptional circumstances, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Friday.
The recently enacted law, signed on March 11, replaced Republic Act No. 8239, also known as the Passport Act of 1996.
“The new passport law now authorizes DFA to provide offsite and mobile passport services in areas outside of the consular offices and foreign service posts (FSPs),” the PCO said.
“The DFA is also mandated by the new law to arrange accommodations for the applications of regular passports by senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, minors aged seven years old and below, solo parents, OFWs, and individuals with emergency and exceptional cases,” it added.
To ensure passport security, the PCO explained that the law sets tough penalties for unauthorized passport handling. Offenders could face at least 12 years in prison and fines ranging from P1 million to P2 million.
Full Story at: Marcos signs new law for online passport applications in Philippines | Philstar.com
Blinken to meet with President Marcos, Manalo in Manila | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Manila to meet with President Marcos and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs has announced.
The US official’s two-day visit scheduled from March 18 to 19 is expected to provide a venue to discuss matters of mutual concern, including the country’s problems in the West Philippine Sea.
The US State Department said Blinken will meet with Marcos and Manalo “to advance shared economic priorities and underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the US-Philippine alliance.”
“Secretary Blinken, President Marcos and Secretary Manalo will discuss areas to deepen US-Philippine cooperation on a range of bilateral and global issues, including on regional peace and stability, human rights and democracy, economic prosperity, health, clean energy, semiconductors and the digital economy,” the official announcement yesterday noted.
The DFA said the meetings will discuss the notable progress in bilateral ties and the shared commitment to further strengthen the Philippines-United States alliance in pursuit of common interests.
Full Story at: Blinken to meet with President Marcos, Manalo in Manila | Philstar.com
A defendant in the Percy Lapid murder case dies – PNP | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — A respondent in the Percy Lapid murder case has died, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Saturday.
A report from the PNP indicated that Ricardo Zulueta was brought by his brother to the Bataan Peninsula Medical Center at 10 p.m. on Friday due to “heart failure.” Zulueta was declared dead an hour later.
The copy of the report was distributed to reporters by PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo on Saturday.
Zulueta, a former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official, and former BuCor chief Gerald Bantag were named as principal defendants in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid, whose real name was Percival Mabasa, in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022. Both are facing murder charges before the Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court Branch 254.
Full Story at: A defendant in the Percy Lapid murder case dies – PNP (inquirer.net)
Reciprocal rights vital to Cha-cha, says Carpio | INQUIRER.NET – Reciprocity should be central to any proposal to end Filipinos’ Constitutional entitlements to exclusive ownership of strategic industries, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Friday.
During a public forum on Charter change (Cha-cha) at the Ateneo de Manila University, Carpio said that if the country’s vital services, such as public utilities, are opened to foreign ownership, then Filipinos must also be able to own the same services in those countries.
“It would be crazy to open up but we cannot buy into their companies,” Carpio said. “There are 12 billion Filipinos currently outside the country and they cannot even buy companies in those countries.”
The retired jurist said he remained skeptical of the need to amend the 37-year-old Charter without first addressing systemic problems, such as bureaucratic red tape, corruption, and lack of rule of law in the country, but he was also open to the idea.
This was echoed by lawyer Antonio Abad, who pointed out that the constitution “must not legislate what the legislature can legislate.”
Full Story at: Reciprocal rights vital to Cha-cha, says Carpio (inquirer.net)
