The Bureau of Immigration (BI) beefed up its border security and counter terrorism efforts by partnering with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in a three-day visit to Luxembourg’s Passenger Information Unit (PIU). 

Five personnel of the BI's Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) operations center joined the study visit last April 7 to 9. Representatives from UNOCT and the Luxembourg Police facilitated the visit and shared best practices in risk assessment, data processing, and inter-agency coordination.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado explained that the activity allowed BI personnel to deepen their technical understanding of passenger risk management and enhance their operational strategies under the newly launched APIS system in the Philippines. 

"This visit marks another milestone in the Bureau’s commitment to protect the country’s borders while improving the experience of legitimate travelers. We thank our partners in UNOCT and Luxembourg for helping us realize the vision of a modern, responsive immigration service aligned with global standards," he said.

At the same time, the study visit enabled participants to observe the operations of Luxembourg’s PIU which currently chairs the international goTravel user community, the BI said.

The goTravel system is used to analyze passenger data and identify potential security threats, including those related to transnational crime and terrorism. The Luxembourg PIU serves as a targeting center under the International Relations Directorate of the Luxembourg Police.

In the Philippines, the BI utilizes the APIS which was launched earlier this year. The APIS allows an advance processing of passenger data to support real-time threat assessment. 

The system supports the administration’s modernization agenda and contributes to global counter-terrorism and border security efforts, the BI said.