Philippine Immigration Bureau hopes to increase the number of self-service customs clearance machines "Green Channel" implemented in the fourth quarter

Dana Sandoval, a spokesman for the Philippine Immigration Bureau, said the agency hopes to e-gates immigration counters at international airports by 2026 to process passengers more efficiently.

There are only 21 self-service clearance machines in the country, most of which are deployed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The spokesperson said: "Nowadays, the regular processing time for each passenger is 45 seconds, and through the self-service customs clearance machine, this time can be reduced to eight seconds."

Self-service clearance machines automate border control by checking biometric data embedded in e-passports and information captured at the boarding gate.

With the number of outbound passengers expected to increase in the fourth quarter of this year, the Immigration Bureau will soon launch a "green channel" specifically for Filipino overseas workers, frequent flyers, and holders of foreign registered identity cards (ACR I-card) ".

The spokesperson said: "The Green Channel is aimed at Filipino foreign workers, alien card holders and frequent flyers. They are people who hold long-term visas and frequent travelers in the country. They are travelers who are less likely to fall into traps or be harmed, so they need less assessment.

She stressed that 98 percent of Philippine outbound travelers do not need to show the additional requirements set out in the revised travel guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT). The official said that passengers only need to provide passports, round-trip tickets, hotel or accommodation information, boarding passes and visas, and do not need to show anything else.

The implementation of the guidelines has been suspended due to strong opposition from the public and some politicians who claim that the travel requirement violates the right of Filipinos to travel.

The Anti-Trafficking Inter-Agency Committee will conduct a large-scale information campaign on the Government's policy to combat human trafficking and the need to strengthen border controls.

the spokesman finally urged travellers who felt or had been discriminated against by immigration officers to lodge complaints. "If an individual finds that he or she has been wrongly treated, or that an immigration officer has not performed his or her duties in accordance with our mandate, the Anti-Trafficking Interagency Commission can bring appropriate proceedings against an immigration officer," Sandoval said."