The Bureau of Immigration will open the electronic gates at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport before Christmas to hasten processing and reduce passenger queues in immigration counters at the country’s premiere port during the holiday rush.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he already signed a memorandum of agreement with the service provider for the pilot testing of the e-gates, initially at the NAIA 2 immigration departure area.
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 successful implementation of the project.
“We are optimistic that the same success will be replicated when the scheme becomes fully operational in our airports’ immigration departure areas,” Morente said.
The BI chief added that as 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.