Senator Grace Poe on Thursday, August 29 urged the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to address travelers’ complaints pertaining to the country’s eTravel system.
Poe said the BI should consider asking the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) for help to ensure an efficient data collection.
“For all its good intentions, the eTravel System for passengers arriving in and departing from the Philippines could use some improvement to avoid causing inconvenience,” Poe said in a statement.
The senator pointed out complaints have been raised about how many passengers were stressed out by the “tedious and time consuming requirement” of filling out eTravel app.
Poe noted both the internet-savvy and the technologically-challenged have complained about accessing the app and the too many details to be filled out to complete the process.
To exacerbate the nightmare, she said there are issues of availability of the internet for those who need to do it in the airports. The intermittent connection also added to the problem.
“The Bureau of Immigration might need a hand from the Department of Information and Communications Technology to make this digital data collection platform more efficient and hassle-free,” she said.
“Let's have an eTravel System that's secure, user-friendly and one that allows legitimate visitors to enter and leave the country in a breeze,” the lawmaker emphasized.