Go opposes proposed passport fee increase   

SEN. Bong Go has opposed the proposal to raise passport fees from P950 to P1,500, saying the measure would add to the financial burden of Filipinos amid rising prices and economic difficulties.

In a statement, Go said the proposed increase was “not timely,” citing the continuing impact of the crisis in the Middle East, which he said has led to successive increases in oil prices as well as the cost of basic goods and services.

He also pointed to the rise in unemployment based on the latest data for July 2026.

“Let us not add to the burden already being carried by our people, especially OFWs who sacrifice every day for their families and our country,” Go said.

He recalled that passport validity was extended from five years to 10 years during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte to reduce the costs associated with frequent passport renewals.

He questioned why the government would now raise passport fees despite the longer validity period.

“If it is really necessary, the government should consider subsidizing it rather than allowing the funds to end up in corruption,” Go said.

“Billions of pesos in public funds are available — why not use them for the benefit of the people? What Filipinos need now is compassion, not additional hardship. Service, not business,” he said.

At the hearing for the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) 2027 budget on Friday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito said the APO Production Unit, Inc., the government’s passport printer, has asked that it be allowed to increase passport prices so it can sustain production.

“They are saying that if they fail to adjust the price, they might be forced to cease their operations and maybe soon, we will not have a passport by next year ... of course, this will be a big problem,” Ejercito said.

He said that the printing agency is asking for passport prices to be raised from P950 to P1,500, with discounted rates of P1,200 for senior citizens and overseas Filipino workers.

“This letter from APO is a consequence of certain negotiations. When they said that they want to increase the price of the passport from the present P950 to P1,500, we told them that, if it is possible, to postpone the increase,” he said.

In response, Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said that the request was reasonable, since the last increase was more than 10 years ago. Adding to this was the extension of the passport’s validity from five years to 10 years.

However, Lazaro said APO was asked to defer the increase since there will be a next-generation passport, which will be launched in the middle of 2028.

“You cannot increase the price of a passport within three years,” Lazaro said, citing the Philippine Passport Act.

Lazaro said that if they raise prices by January as APO requested, it may affect the planned next-generation passport.

The DFA also needs to make a communications plan for a passport price hike, she said.

Ejercito said the DFA should let the Senate know if there is a need to subsidize the passports but admitted that there was a tight fiscal space.