The Bureau of Immigration (BI) signed a P1.5-billion contract with iWave Inc. on Monday to acquire additional electronic gates for international airports.
The initiative is designed to improve efficiency and curb corruption at the country’s entry points, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado led the signing at the BI headquarters in Manila with iWave’s authorized representative, Marco Urera.
Sandoval said the project will begin immediately with the transfer and installation of the newly procured e-gates.
“Our goal is to convert half of manual immigration processes at international ports to electronic gates, implementing it in phases,” she said.
Initially, arriving Filipinos will use the e-gates, with plans to expand the system to departing passengers, including overseas Filipino workers, and select foreign nationals.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously unveiled 78 biometric e-gates at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, funded by New NAIA Infra Corp.
The new system is expected to reduce manual processing time from 45 seconds to as fast as eight seconds per passenger, Sandoval added.
Beyond convenience, the electronic gates will limit opportunities for corruption, as no payments can bypass automated systems.
The BI’s existing 18 e-gates, acquired between 2016 and 2018, are outdated and insufficient to meet current travel demands.