Sabah, WPS to be printed on PH passports

A committee in the House of Representatives has approved the substitute bill that requires the printing of the country’s map, including its 320-kilometer exclusive economic zone and Sabah, on the pages of Philippine passports.

The House committee on foreign affairs approved House Bill No. 6399, authored by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, which is seeking to amend Republic Act No. 6239, or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, with the printing of the country’s map on the travel document.

“[HB 6399] aims to emphasize and insist on our victory on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) over China in the International Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands; and our legal and historical rights over Sabah,” Rodriguez said in a statement. —Melvin Gascon