The Philippines can now receive information on terrorists and criminals before they arrive in the country through the United Nations (UN) goTravel Air Software Solution, a system that "tracks and asesses passenger data in real time.”
The use of goTravel Air Software Solution was launched at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, March 20.
“The value of this initiative is clear: stronger border control, better intelligence sharing, and a more proactive approach to national security,” declared DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla in a message that was read by Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez during the launch.
Remulla said: “With this system in place, we reduce the risk of threats slipping through immigration controls. We also prevent travel document fraud, strengthen risk assessments and ensure our security agencies have the tools to act swiftly and effectively."
“With the use of advanced passenger information (API) and passenger name record (PNR) system, we will be able to identify risks before they reach our borders, prevent individuals linked to terrorism and transnational crimes from moving freely and improve law enforcement and coordination across agencies,” he said.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado told journalists the UN's system is “one step to the future.”
“Kung ang isang pasahero ay sumakay from a certain departure point, nagsusubok pumasok ng Pilipinas, habang nagbabyahe pa lang ho s’ya, malalaman no ho namin kung dapat ba s’ya papasukin o hindi (If a passenger boarded from a certain departure point, trying to enter the Philippines, while the person is in transit, we can know if the person should be allowed entry into the country),” Viado said.
Prior the adoption of the UN system, Viado noted that “reliant kami sa binibigay ng iba’t ibang pamahalaan (we have been reliant on the information provided by different countries).”
“Ngayon po paano po kung merong lag sa oras? Ito ho ang isang information gathering na real time (What if a lag in the time was experienced? The UN system is information gathering in real time),” he also said.
UN Office on Counter-Terrorism Section Chief Christine Bradley said the Philippines is the seventh country implementing the program which includes Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Georgia, Moldova and Botswana.
Bradley said “this is a solution that was developed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands” and “donated to the UN so that it can be made available for all member states to ensure that they have the capabilities to collect and analyze passenger data.”
Bradley also said “we are currently working with 65 other member states to ensure that they also have these capabilities”
“It’s a very important global initiative that we have been working on for the past six years almost since it was launched in May of 2019 and it’s really in response to the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon,” she said.
“So it really is looking to equip all member states with the tools as well as the legal framerwork, the operational capabilities to protect their borders and to prevent and counter terrorism and organized crime,” the UN official added.