By Tracy Cabrera
Consistent with its initiative to broaden automated passenger processing at the country’s international gateways, Bureau of Immigration (BI) commissioner Joel Anthony Viado has expressed support for the Department of Transportation (DoTr)’s proposed expansion in the use of electronic immigration gates (e-Gates) to all arriving and departing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).According to Commissioner Viado, the DoTr proposal is attuned with the Bureau’s efforts to reduce queues, speed up passenger processing, strengthen border security and advance its mandate to combat human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.In a statement, the immigration chief cited that the use of e-Gates “aligns with the BI’s modernization agenda and President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s directive to digitalize government services, streamline transactions and improve public service delivery.” “Under the system, passengers who clear automated screening may proceed through the e-Gates without undergoing routine face-to-face immigration interviews. Those flagged by the system or requiring further assessment, however, will remain subject to examination by immigration officers,” Viado explained. “Technology should allow us to process legitimate travelers faster while enabling our officers to focus on passengers who require closer scrutiny,” he added. In ending, BI’s top executive noted that “wider e-Gate access must go hand-in-hand with reliable biometric verification and effective security checks. “Our objective is not only to reduce queues but also to make immigration screening faster, smarter, and more secure,” he stressed while announcing that the BI has already began expanding and upgrading e-Gates at international airports outside Metro Manila to improve passenger processing and strengthen border security.
