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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider BI eyes more 'e-gates' for faster processing of travelers

BI eyes more 'e-gates' for faster processing of travelers

Published Sep 4, 2023 04:43 am

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday, Sept. 4, said it is eyeing the replacement of its manual counters at the airports with electronic gates or “e-gates” for faster processing of travelers without compromising national security.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that “e-gates are now the standard in most countries.”

“We want things faster and more efficient, to better improve the experience of our travelers,” he said.

BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia M. Sandoval explained an e-gate is “an electronic booth that captures the passport and biometric details of passengers.”

“Our e-gates replaces face-to-face contact between the passenger and the immigration officer,” she said.

“It can lower processing time from 45 seconds to as much as 8 seconds,” she added.

The bureau also assured that e-gates “reduce the processing time without compromising national security.”

The manual immigration counters at the airports follow “a 45-second immigration processing time for travelers, adopted from the Guidelines on Advance Passenger Information published jointly by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” Tansingco said.

“While the 45-second standard is intended for check in counters for the manual keying of passenger data, BI has committed and imposed upon itself to process passengers within the said period,” he said.

He noted that the Philippines has only 21 e-gates distributed at the arrival area in major international airports nationwide and majority of which are deployed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  

He pointed out that the purchase of more e-gates is already part of the BI’s information systems strategic plan for 2024 to 2026.

“The BI is gearing up to procure additional e-gates starting 2024, and expect that by 2026, a total of 43 e-gates shall have been installed nationwide,” he said.

BI projects that the e-gates project will cost P1.9 billion.  But Tansingco said the project is necessary “to remain at part with international counterparts.”

 

 

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