The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it is encouraging arriving Filipinos post-Undas to utilize the airport’s electronic gates.
The e-gates, according to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, can lessen processing time from the usual 45 seconds to as low as 8 seconds.
Tansingco said that they are prioritizing automating all BI services, prioritizing their operations at the airports.
Currently, a total of 21 e-gates are distributed in major international airports nationwide.
Data shows that on the last day of October, a total of 32,045 passengers arrived, but only 5,210 utilized the e-gates.
“Departures significantly increased before Undas, and we project that arrivals will rise in the next few days after the long holiday,” said Tansingco.
The BI recorded a total of 32,352 departures on October 31 and sees that this could rise up to 35,000 in the next few days.
Tansingco shared that upon approval of the BI’s budget, they are planning to increase efficiency by adding more e-gates, and plans to replace 50% of their manual operations by 2026.
