Ten second passport processing nears, foreign affairs department readies new technology
Title
Ten second passport processing nears, foreign affairs department readies new technology
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Vtmbh article article order
4
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Anthony D. Advincula
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Before coming to America, Rodolfo Garcia waited in a long line and endured hours under the enervating heat of the sun just to have his passport processed at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.
"It was terrible. I was at the DFA as early as 5 a.m. and the line of people was already snaking through a parking lot outside. That day I finished submitting the application papers around 2:00 p.m. But then I was told to wait for three weeks or more to get my passport," Garcia said.
In the coming months, other applicants in the Philippines may not have similar experiences. All systems are ready to go for the much-awaited P4 billion Machine Readable Passport/Visa program, which could process reportedly passports in ten seconds.
According to reports, the Foreign Affairs Department had already signed a contract with Bonifacio Cesar Aderico International to provide the equipment and technology for the project.
"Everything is ready. In six months, we will have tamper-proof, fraud-free passports," said Franklin Ebdalin, department undersecretary for administration.
Ebdalin said once the program is operational, applicants who want to renew their passports can have documents processed in ten seconds, allowing the department to accommodate as many as 5,000 applications daily.
Without a computerized system, the department in Manila can only handle 2,000 applications a day.
Documents such as identification cards, marriage and baptismal certificates, school records will no longer be necessary, too, because the computer could store the applicant's thumbmark, along with necessary information.
"It's 'high-tech.' It's better than what the Americans have," Ebdalin said.
"It was terrible. I was at the DFA as early as 5 a.m. and the line of people was already snaking through a parking lot outside. That day I finished submitting the application papers around 2:00 p.m. But then I was told to wait for three weeks or more to get my passport," Garcia said.
In the coming months, other applicants in the Philippines may not have similar experiences. All systems are ready to go for the much-awaited P4 billion Machine Readable Passport/Visa program, which could process reportedly passports in ten seconds.
According to reports, the Foreign Affairs Department had already signed a contract with Bonifacio Cesar Aderico International to provide the equipment and technology for the project.
"Everything is ready. In six months, we will have tamper-proof, fraud-free passports," said Franklin Ebdalin, department undersecretary for administration.
Ebdalin said once the program is operational, applicants who want to renew their passports can have documents processed in ten seconds, allowing the department to accommodate as many as 5,000 applications daily.
Without a computerized system, the department in Manila can only handle 2,000 applications a day.
Documents such as identification cards, marriage and baptismal certificates, school records will no longer be necessary, too, because the computer could store the applicant's thumbmark, along with necessary information.
"It's 'high-tech.' It's better than what the Americans have," Ebdalin said.
Vtmbh article date
2002-05-23
Vtmbh article edition
21
Vtmbh article hit count
433
Vtmbh article keywords
Vtmbh article line breaks
1
Vtmbh article original language
English
Vtmbh article publication
Filipino Express
Vtmbh article section
briefs
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Vtmbh article title
Ten second passport processing nears, foreign affairs department readies new technology
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born-digital
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article
Created by Author
yes
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no
Date Entered
2002-05-23
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Citation
“Ten second passport processing nears, foreign affairs department readies new technology,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1721/.