THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Bureau of Customs said Philippine airports are set to go paperless with the enhanced eTravel system which is meant to help arriving and departing passengers.
The eTravel system, which can be accessed on the eGov PH app, covers the Arrival and Departure Immigration Forms, Seaport Form, Cruise Form, Health Declaration Form, One Health Pass, Tourism Form, and eVisa.
Now, more features were added such as the Baggage Declaration Form and Currency Declaration Form of the BOC and the Overseas Filipino Workers or OFW Pass of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Passengers can fill up the said forms before their flight.
“It intends to efficiently make traveling a more seamless experience for every Filipino and every global citizen all while maintaining a balance with compliance requirements,” said Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.
During the ceremonial launch held Wednesday, July 10, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said this will also benefit OFWs.
“’Yung bilis ng proseso sa airport at sa amin sa DMW at sa Customs at sa Immigration ay ibig sabihin nun they [OFWs] have more time with their families.”
Officials at the launch said the enhanced eTravel system will speed up the processes at the airport, shorten lines, and enhance the overall passenger experience.
Aside from benefiting passengers, the enhanced system will also help government agencies as they can get real-time data on arriving and departing passengers.
“Government agencies benefit immensely from the streamlined coordination and real-time data sharing. This interconnectedness not only enhance operational efficiency but also fortifies our national security,” said DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy.
DICT also assured the public they have adequate cybersecurity measures to protect the data on the eGov app. They plan to add more features and hope other agencies also connect to the app.
The eGov app can be downloaded for free. (ABS-CBN News)
