The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced that a new ePassport will be launched in August.In a statement, the DFA said that the newly designed Philippine passport will contain additional security features and showcasing the country's "rich culture and heritage.""The new electronic passport is now being prepared and will soon be out for issuance by mid-August," Dominic Tajon, sales manager of APO Production Unit, the agency that has managed the multi-billion contract, told the Manila BulletinTajon told the newspaper that an online application system is also under development and will be deployed towards the middle of September.In a speech given at the SDW2016 event, Aris L. Gulapa, Corporate and Legal Secretary, APO Production Unit, outlined lessons and updates on the new Philippine ePassport system.Earlier this year, production of the new Phillipines ePassport was postponed after the country's Dept of Foreign Affairs raised concerns over the "political sensitivity" of a map that showed disputed areas of the South China Sea.An interagency department tasked with approving the passport design decided to remove the map because it did not accurately reflect the extent of the Philippine territory as defined in the Constitution.New security features such as the Intaglio secure printing technology in the document are in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Technology (ICAO) of the United Nations.The new passport also features the lyrics of the national anthem and illustrations of tourist spots like the Banaue rice terraces and icons like the Philippine eagle on its pages.
Philippines to begin issuing new ePassports in August
