BI to open departure e-gates to reduce passenger queues

IN order to hasten processing and reduce passenger queues in immigration counters at the country’s premiere port during the holiday rush, the  Bureau of Immigration (BI) is launching its electronic gates (e-gates) at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

It was learned that the BI has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the service provider for the pilot testing of the e-gates, initially at the NAIA 2 immigration departure area.

Bi spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the e-gate system was implemented last year in the immigration arrival areas of NAIA’s three terminals and the international airports in Mactan-Cebu, Davao, and Clark.

The noticeable drop in incidence of long queues at the airports has been attributed to the successful implementation of the project, she said, adding that just like in the case of e-gates installed at the immigration arrival areas, the new lanes shall cater only to departing OFWs in order to ensure smoother and faster processing for these Filipinos in recognition of their contributions to the country’s economic development.

BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina, said the project’s pilot testing and demonstration would last for six months and that the BI is targeting to process at least  100,000 passengers before the project could become fully operational.

Medina said the project’s entire cost will be shouldered by the company that supplied the country’s e-gates.

Medina added that the service provider has committed to initially install and operate two e-gates and biometric machines at NAIA’s Terminal 2 for exclusive use of departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and airline crew of Philippine Airlines (PAL).