SENATOR Ralph Recto has filed bills that would extend the validity of a driver’s license to five years from three and that of a Philippine passport to 10 years from five.
Recto said “lengthening the expiry date of these two important documents” would spare the holder the hassle of applying for their renewal.
“This is a common-sensical anti-red tape measure which should have been done a long time ago,” Recto said.
In his bill extending the validity of the license to operate a motor vehicle, Recto sought amendments to Republic Act 4136 and Batas Pambansa 398, which constitute the nation’s “Land Transportation and Traffic Code.”
The five-year validity would not, however, apply to student permits and new licenses.
“Except for student permits and new licenses, all drivers’ licenses shall be valid for five consecutive years reckoned from the birth date of the licensee unless sooner revoked or suspended,” Recto’s proposed amendment reads.
“This is not an unconditional permit to drive for five years. The rules allow for early disenfranchisement if the holder is a serial violator of traffic rules.”
With the Land Transportation Office, the agency that issues licenses to drivers, “saddled with a myriad of problems,” Recto said, “minimizing the frequency of the public’s transactions with the LTO will dramatically reduce red tape and promote ease in doing business in that image.”
In a separate measure, Recto wants Section 10 of Republic Act 8239, or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, amended so that the validity period of a Philippine passport will be lengthened to 10 years.
In his bill’s explanatory note, Recto specifically cited the inconveniences experienced by migrant Filipino workers in securing a passport.
“Most [migrant workers] are allowed to return to the Philippines from two weeks to a month while the processing of applications and renewal of passports can take from 10 to 15 days—not including the waiting period for an appointment,“ he said.
“This might be too short a time for [migrant workers] to secure new passports. Many spend their entire vacation in queues for multiple government-issued permits needed for their employment.”