BI: New traveler fee not final

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday clarified the plan to impose additional fees on travelers is not final yet.

“The reports were based on a proposal that has not yet received the final approvals,” Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said in a statement, following reports that the agency will begin collecting P480.

Mr. Viado also ordered a comprehensive review and consultation process on the proposed user fee, which will impose a $4 user fee or around P247.

The user fee forms part of the Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) project, which is still a proposal.

The CAISS project is public-private partnership initiative intended to enhance immigration operations through advanced biometric systems, real-time risk assessment, data integration, and automated border control technologies.

He said the review will focus on whether the proposed user fee is necessary, reasonable, and justified by tangible benefits to travelers.

The agency will also hold consultations with stakeholders from the aviation, tourism, and transport sectors and determine measurable improvements in passenger convenience and processing efficiency and adequate safeguards for data privacy and cybersecurity, among others.

Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has no position yet on the matter as it is still in the proposal stage.

“It may be shot down, it may not be implemented, it may not continue. So, let’s not be alarmed because it doesn’t really exist yet; it’s just a proposal,” she told a briefing in Filipino. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana