By Jennylou Canon

PHOTO: The ASEAN News

The Philippine passport saw a decline in its strength after placing 82nd in the 2021 Henley Passport Index (HPI).

The country's passport placed 74th out of 199 countries last year.

Only 66 destinations can be accessed visa-free using the Philippine passport, which is why the country continued to have reduced strength in its international travel document.



In 2007 until 2009, the country reached its highest ranking in the HPI after placing 62nd consecutively.

Meanwhile, the Japanese passport maintained its top ranking, having visa-free access to 193 countries.

Japan was followed by Singapore, with 192 visa-free destinations, and South Korea and Germany with 191 visa-free destinations.

The HPI ranks each country by the total number of visa-free destinations. A score of one is given to each visa-free destination a passport holder can access, while a score of zero is given to each destination that requires the passport holder a visa.

Henley & Partners explained the index “was developed to give users a nuanced, practical, and reliable overview of their passport’s power."