MANILA – To beef up border control, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the adoption and implementation of an Advance Passenger Information (API) system.
Under Duterte’s Executive Order No. 122, airline companies will soon have to provide the Bureau of Immigration (BI) with passenger information ahead of flight arrivals in the country.
API system is an electronic communications system that collects data from passports, travel documents and details provided by commercial carriers.
The following data should be transmitted to the BI:
* flight details (flight number and arrival/departure times)
* passenger and crew information (name, date of birth, gender, citizenship)
* travel document data
“The captain, master or agent, or owner of a commercial carrier whose vessel or aircraft is arriving in or departing from any port within the Philippine territory, shall provide the BI the API of its passengers, and those of the crew and non-crew members,” the EO stated.
President Duterte also noted that the API system shall serve as “initial security vetting,” but does not exempt passengers from physical inspection at the ports of entry or departure.
The system would likewise give the BI ample time to check if the passenger is on its database and other law enforcement databases, including notices issued by Interpol, and the list of individuals sanctioned or banned by the UN Security Council.
Only authorized Immigration personnel can access the API system, but the bureau may share information with law enforcement agencies should national security calls for it.
Unauthorized disclosures shall be punishable under the Data Privacy Act. All information can only be stored in the system for a year, after which the data shall be deleted, unless classified as related to crime or terrorism.
The BI must come up with rules and regulations for the implementation of the EO within 60 days from its publication in the Official Gazette or newspaper of general circulation./PN
