Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday, August 1 pressed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to require the personal appearance of applicants at consular offices as a non-negotiable prerequisite for some categories of electronic visas or e-visas.
Sen. Nancy Binay (Senate PRIB Photo)
Binay made the call even as she welcomed the pilot implementation of the Philippines’ first-ever e-visa on Aug. 24, 2023, which will start with China and India.
A personal appearance, Binay said would help ensure that the government has sufficient safeguards for national security and against human trafficking.
She said it is imperative for the DFA to come up with better homeland security policiesto to avoid being circumvented by non-technical loopholes and to lessen the probability of organized syndicates exploiting tour groups and junkets.
“We welcome the implementation of e-visas not only to positively boost tourism, but also as our commitment to facilitate ease of travel,” said Binay, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Tourism.
“In the same vein, we urge the DFA and NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) to refine national security policies to deter undesirable travelers from extra-legally bypassing immigration laws,” she pointted out.
“Alam naman nating marami ring pumupunta sa Pilipinas na iba ang pakay—mas i-review natin ang mga sistema at (We know that there are some nationals who come to the Philippines with a different motive—then we should review our system and) exemptions to avoid any misuse and abuse by some foreign nationals,” she pointed out.
Binay stressed that while digitalization should improve ease of travel, it should not compromise national security.
“Though the e-visa system temporarily gives us an opportunity to recover and jumpstart Philippine tourism, kailangan natin magkaroon (we need to have a) serious strategic decision on embracing the system as a modern travel solution,” Binay said.
“Every visa decision has a national security dimension. Certain parameters on security should be in place, and apply a multi-layered safety plug plus a face-to-face interview to a narrow category of travelers para talagang salang-sala ang mga pumapasok sa bansa (to ensure all visitors in the country are really vetted),” she added.
Binay said vetting on transnational organizational criminals (TOC)-related grounds and extensive security screening should be the prime considerations in approving visa applications.
"Mas laganap ngayon ang transnational crimes lalo na ang human trafficking and prostitution na mula Mainland China. Gaano ba kasigurado tayo na ang nabibigyan natin ng e-visa eh talagang mga lehitimong turista (Transnational crimes are more rampant now especially human trafficking and prostitution especially from mainland China. How can we be sure that we are giving e-visa to a legitimate tourist)?” she said.
“As a matter of national interest, I share the DFA's position to require face-to-face interviews with tourist visa applicants whose profiles fall in marked categories," Binay explained.
Likewise, she said the DFA should proceed with caution and also asked that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) also have a vetting system on foreign nationals overstaying in the country.
Considering that the Philippines is the only ASEAN country with a Tier 1 status under the US State Department’s annual human trafficking report, the lawmaker said the DFA cannot turn a blind eye on media reports involving alleged trafficking of Chinese workers to the country.
“Lalo pa ngayong unti-unti nang nanunumbalik ang turismo (Especially now that our tourism is bouncing back)—we also cannot ignore that China is a big market,” she said.
“I share the opinion that we have to take advantage of the global 'revenge tourism' phenomenon, but targeting visitor quotas need not dilute national security interests,” she stressed.
“At the end of the day, safety nets in homeland security should be in place. Visa applicants must demonstrate their eligibility of an e-visa be it for tourism, business or emergencies purposes,” she reiterated.
The senator said the policy must apply to all foreign nationals, and “we always have to be on the side of caution and prudence.”