Marcos signs order institutionalizing eTravel system

Immigration officers man their post at the Naia Terminal 1. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. has signed an administrative order institutionalizing the government’s one-stop electronic travel declaration system for international passengers and crew members, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). 

In a statement on Saturday, PCO said Marcos and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed  Administrative Order (AO) 24 on August 27, which is expected to take effect upon publication in the Official Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation. 

“The eTravel (Electronic Travel Information) system is hereby institutionalized as the government’s one-stop electronic travel declaration system for all international inbound and outbound passengers and crew members,” the three-page AO read. 

It added that the eTravel “shall be used by the government to efficiently conduct border control, health surveillance, tourism statistics analysis, and other travel-related procedures.” 

Citing the order, PCO said a technical working group (TWG) on the eTravel system will be formed to study and adopt measures and further improve the system.

The TWG will be headed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology and co-chaired by the Bureau of Immigration, while the Department of Tourism, Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Quarantine, and Bureau of Customs will be members. 

“President Marcos ordered all relevant departments, agencies, bureaus, offices, and instrumentalities to provide full support to, and cooperation with the TWG to ensure effective implementation of the order,” PCO said. 

“The President also instructed the TWG and all relevant departments, agencies, bureaus, offices, and instrumentalities to ensure compliance with Republic Act (RA) No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act,” it added. 

According to the PCO, the relevant agencies launched the system last December 2022.

It was expanded in April 2023 “to cover all international inbound and outbound passengers and crew members arriving to and departing from the Philippines.”