Bye, RP. Hello, PH!

From GMANews.tv.

The Philippines has long been known by the initials "RP" for "Republic of the Philippines."

However, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says from now on, it will be using the initials "PH" or "PHL" when referring to the Philippines. The DFA says the move complies with the country codes set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The DFA said the use of the designated country codes PH or PHL would “avoid the ambiguity and confusion with the use of the initials RP."

“The long standing usage of the initials RP is not in accordance with ISO codes, leading to ambiguous initials that can also refer to other countries," the DFA noted. In a department order issued on October 20, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo directed the DFA’s 67 embassies, 23 consulates general and four permanent missions to use the initials PH or PHL in their dispatches and reports to the Home Office.

International standards

The ISO is an international-standard-setting body comprised of representatives from various national standards organizations. The Philippines is a member of the ISO.

Founded on February 23 1947, the ISO, with headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, promulgates worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial standards.

While the ISO defines itself as a nongovernment organization (NGO), its ability to set standards that often become law, makes it more powerful than most NGOs.

The Philippines is represented in the ISO by the Bureau of Product Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Two-letter codes

The ISO developed the ISO3166-1 codes, assigning two-letter (alpha-2) and three-letter (alpha-3) codes to member countries. ISO 3166-1 is part of the ISO 3166 standard adopted by the ISO.  The standard defines codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. The codes assigned to the Philippines are PH and PHL.

Passports and airline tickets

The ISO codes are likewise used in the Philippines and abroad in airline ticketing, passport issuances, currencies, and internationally-traded shares of stocks, among others.

The DFA Office of Consular Affairs has adopted the ISO three-letter codes that appear in the data pages of the Philippine electronic passport.

Societal benefits

The ISO standards have technological, economic and societal benefits. For businesses, the adoption of ISO standards implies that suppliers meet specifications that have wide international acceptance in their sectors.

For governments, ISO standards provides the technological and scientific bases for formulating laws concerning health, safety, and the environment.