Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to make personal appearance of visa applicants at consular offices as a non-negotiable requirement for some categories applying for e-visas.
“Every visa decision has a national security dimension,” said Binay, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Tourism.
She said certain parameters on security should be in place, and apply a multi-layered safety plug plus a face-to-face interview to a narrow category of travelers.
She noted vetting on TOC-related grounds, and extensive security screening should be the prime considerations in approving visa applications.
“As a matter of national interest, I share the DFA’s position torequire face-to-face interviews with tourist visa applicants whose profiles fall in marked categories,” Binay said.
The senator advised the DFA to proceed with caution, and said the Bureau of Immigration should also have a system to check on foreign nationals overstaying in the country.
Having better homeland security policies, she said, will help avoid being circumvented by non-technical loopholes.
Comsidering that the Philippines is the only ASEAN country with a Tier 1 status under the US State Department’s annual human trafficking report, she said DFA cannot turn a blind eye on media reports involving alleged trafficking of Chinese workers to the country.
She said this will also minimize the probability of organized syndicates exploiting tour groups and junkets.
The senator welcomed the pilot implementation of Philippines’ first-ever electronic visa on August 24.
“We welcome the implementation of e-visas not only to positively boost tourism, but also as our commitment to facilitate ease of travel,” she said.
She also urged the DFA and NICA to refine national security policies to deter undesirable travelers from extra-legally bypassing immigration laws. “We know that there are still many with different motives who go to the Philippines,” she said.
With this, Binay said there is more need to review our system and exemptions to avoid any misuse and abuse by some foreign nationals.
Electronic visa (e-visa) is the digital version of the standard visa that allows foreign travelers to enter a certain country for a specific period or purpose.
In lieu of physical holographic stamps or stickers on the passport, applicants instead receive an e-visa approval code which is linked to their passports.
She noted that digitalization should improve ease of travel without compromising national security.
“Though the e-visa system temporarily gives us an opportunity to recover and jumpstart Philippine tourism, we need to have a serious strategic decision on embracing the system as a modern travel solution,” she said.
“Especially with the revival of our tourism now- we also cannot ignore that China is a big market.
“I share the opinion that we have to take advantage of the global ‘revenge tourism’ phenomenon, but targeting visitor quotas need not dilute national security interests.”
At the end of the day, she said safety nets in homeland security should be in place. Visa applicants must demonstrate their eligibility for an e-visa be it for tourism, business or emergencies purposes.
The policy must apply to all foreign nationals, and we always have to be on the side of caution and prudence,” Binay noted.
DFA is scheduled to pilot the e-visa on August 24 starting with China and India.
The Philippine e-visa will later allow foreign travelers to enter the country for tourism and business to apply for temporary visas. Macon Ramos-Araneta