Marcos signs 3 key measures into law Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has signed into law measures that digitalize passport applications, require schools to allow disadvantaged students to take their exams even without a permit and strengthen the Philippines’ salt industry. The New Philippine Passport Act; No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act and the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act were signed into law last March 11. The New Philippine Passport Act or Republic Act (RA) 11983 repeals the Passport Act of 1996 and mandates the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to establish and maintain an online application portal and electronic one-stop shop readily accessible on its website. The law authorizes the agency to render offsite and mobile passport services in areas outside of the consular offices and foreign service posts. It also tasks the DFA to arrange accommodations for the application of regular passports by senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, minors aged seven years old and below, solo parents, overseas Filipino workers and individuals with emergency and exceptional cases through the creation of special lanes. The law also enumerates the requirements for the application and issuance of passports, grounds for the denial of the issuance of, cancelation of and imposition of restrictions on passports and penalties for passport-related offenses. No test permits The No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act or RA 11984 allows students with unsettled fees to take exams. The law covers all public and private basic education or K-12 institutions, higher education institutions and technical-vocational institutions. In the case of technical-vocational institutions, the law only covers long-term courses exceeding one year. In the case of K-12 students, the mandate shall apply for the entire school year. The municipal, city and provincial social welfare and development officer or the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall issue the necessary certificate on the disadvantaged status of the student due to calamities, emergencies, force majeure and other good or justifiable reasons in accordance with the rules and regulations issued by the agency. The law shall be without prejudice to the right and power of the educational institutions to require the submission of a promissory note, withhold records and credentials of students and other legal and administrative remedies available to them for the collection of the unpaid fees. The DSWD, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, shall promulgate the rules and regulations defining “disadvantaged student” and the criteria and requirements for and effectivity of the issuance of certifications by different entities involved. Salt industry Meanwhile, the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act, meanwhile, seeks to formulate and establish a roadmap that will enumerate programs, projects and interventions for the development and management, research, processing, use, business modernization and commercialization of Philippine salt. The roadmap shall be aligned with the goals and continued implementation of the law on nationwide salt iodization. The roadmap also seeks to increase salt production to achieve self-sufficiency and to make the country a net exporter of salt; encourage salt farming and expand the number of self-producing areas; ensure the sustainable production, management and harvesting and soil and water conservation practices in salt farming areas and promote public and private investments in the salt industry development programs, among other goals. A Philippine Salt Industry Development Council will be formed to ensure a unified and integrated implementation of the salt roadmap and accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the industry. The agriculture secretary will serve as the chair of the council while the trade secretary will be the vice chair. Speakers hails ‘landmark’ laws Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday hailed Marcos for enacting these three “landmark” laws. These legislations address “educational equity, passport services and the salt industry,” bolstering the administration’s commitment to “positive change across sectors,” according to Romualdez. He emphasized that RA 11984, which prohibits the “no permit, no exam” policy in all educational institutions, is “a crucial milestone in our journey towards educational equity.” “By abolishing the ‘no permit, no exam’ rule, we are breaking down barriers and ensuring that every student, regardless of their financial background, has equal access to education,” he said, as he underscored the need to provide equal access to education to allow all students to pursue their “academic aspirations.” “Education is a fundamental right, and it is our duty to create an environment where every student can thrive,” he added. As for the New Philippine Passport Act, the Speaker asserted that by making the passport application process more accessible and user-friendly, “we are empowering every Filipino to obtain travel documents efficiently and with minimal hassle.” On the salt law, Romualdez maintained that this would revitalize and modernize the salt sector, positioning it for “sustainable growth and international competitiveness.” “This legislation represents a crucial step forward in advancing the development and modernization of the salt industry in the Philippines,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to facilitate sustainable production that could potentially lead to salt exportation, contributing to the country’s economic growth,” he added. — Sheila Crisostomo