Section 19. Offenses and Penalties. — A passport being a proclamation of the citizenship of a Filipino, is a document that is superior to all other official documents. As such, it should be accorded the highest respect by its holder that to do damage to its integrity and validity is a serious crime that should be penalized accordingly:

1. Offenses Relating to Issuances: Penalties. —

   Any person who:

   1. Acting or claiming to act in any capacity or office under the Republic of the Philippines, without lawful authority, grants, issues or verifies any passport or travel document to any or for any person whomsoever shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than eighteen (18) months nor more than six (6) years; or

   2. Being a diplomatic or consular official authorized to grant, issue, amend or verify passports, knowingly and willfully grants, issues, amends or verifies any such passport to any or for any person not owing allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines, whether citizen or not, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty Thousand Pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than eighteen (18) months but not more than six (6) years, and upon conviction, be disqualified from holding appointive public office;

   3. Being a diplomatic or consular officer knowingly and willfully grants and issues to, amends or certifies to the authenticity of any passport or travel document for any person not entitled thereto, or knowingly and willfully issues more than one passport to any person except as provided for in this Act, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than eighteen (18) months nor more than six (6) years and upon conviction, be disqualified from holding appointive public office.

2. Offenses Relating to False Statements: Penalties. —

   Any person who willfully and knowingly:

   1. Makes any false statement in any application for passport with the intent to induce or secure the issuance of a passport under the authority of the Philippine Government, either for his own use or the use of another, contrary to this Act or rules and regulations prescribed pursuant hereto shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than three (3) years nor more than ten (10) years: or

   2. Uses or attempts to use any passport which was secured in any way by reason of any false statements, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than three (3) years, but not more than ten (10) years; or

   3. Travel and recruitment agencies whose agents, liaison officers or representatives are convicted of offenses relating to false statements shall in addition to the fines and penalties abovementioned have their license revoked with all deposits, escrow accounts or guarantee funds deposited or made as a requirement of their business forfeited in favor of the government without prejudice to the officials of the branch office or of the agency being charged as accessories to the offense and upon conviction barred from engaging in the travel or recruitment agency business.

3. Offenses Relating to Forgery: Penalties. —

   Any person who:

   1. Falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, mutilates or alters any passport or travel document or any supporting document for a passport application, with the intent of using the same shall be punished by a fine of not less than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) nor more than One hundred fifty thousand pesos (P150,000) and imprisonment of not less than six (6) years nor more than fifteen (15) years; or

   2. Willfully or knowingly uses or attempts to use, or furnishes to another for use any such false, forged, counterfeited, mutilated or altered passport or travel document or any passport validly issued which has become void by the occurrence of any condition therein prescribed shall be punished by a fine of not less than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) nor more than One hundred and fifty thousand pesos (P150,000) and imprisonment of not less than six (6) years nor more than fifteen (15) years: Provided, however, That officers of corporations, agencies or entities licensed in the travel and recruitment industry would be held similarly as their agents, liaison officers or representatives: Provided, finally, That forgeries of five or more passports or travel documents, would be considered as massive forgery tantamount to national sabotage and shall be punished by a fine of not less than Two hundred and fifty thousand pesos (P250,000) nor more than One Million pesos (P1,000,000) and imprisonment of not less than seven (7) years nor more than seventeen (17) years.

4. Offenses Relating to Improper Use: Penalties. —

   Any person who willfully and knowingly:

   1. Uses or attempts to use, any passport issued or designed for the use of another or any supporting documents for a passport application which belongs to another; or

   2. Uses or attempts to use any passport or supporting documents in violation of the conditions or restrictions therein contained, or of the rules prescribed pursuant thereto; or

   3. Furnishes, disposes, or delivers a passport to any person, for use by another or other than the person for whose use it was originally issued or designed; or

   4. Defaces or destroys a Philippine passport, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) nor more than One hundred fifty thousand pesos (P150,000) and imprisonment of not less than six (6) years nor more than fifteen years.

5. Offenses Relating to Multiple Possession: Penalties. —

   No person or individual may hold more than one valid passport, except as provided for in Section 7 hereof, and any individual who possesses more than one unexpired passport shall, for every unexplored passport found in his possession, be punished by a fine of not less than Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000) nor more than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000) and imprisonment of not less than eighteen (18) months but not more than six (6) years: Provided, That the maximum fine and imprisonment shall be imposed by the court if he attempts to use or actually uses an unexpired passport which is not in his name.

In case any of the offenses prohibited in this Act constitutes a violation of the Revised Penal Code and the penalty imposed in said Code is heavier than that provided in this Act, the latter penalty shall be imposed.