The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has received positive feedbacks from inbound and outbound passengers on the full implementation of eTravel platform, wherein travelers are asked to register online 72 hours before their flights.

According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, they have so far received good reviews from arriving and departing passengers regarding the implementation of the program which was rolled out on Saturday.

“We’ve receiving great feedbacks about the system. It’s actually very similar to the systems that are being implemented in many countries worldwide,” she said at the Laging Handa briefing.

“This will be convenient for frequent travelers since they no longer need to write on sheet of paper but instead they just go online and sign the form, three days before their schedule flights,” the BI official added.

At the same time, she reported that over 32,000 arriving foreigners and Filipino travelers have registered on Saturday during the initial implementation of the system. Also, 14,000 departing Filipinos logged in the site.

Sandoval noted that they have coordinated with other stakeholders particularly airline companies to assist passengers regarding the implementation of the eTravel system.

“We have asked our partners, the airline firms to assist travelers who may need assistance regarding the new system,” she said.

On the other hand, the BI spokesperson reported that they are ready to close down websites that are mirroring the eTravel platform.

“It’s an interagency project, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ready to close down scamming websites,” she added.

Meanwhile, the BI is ready to accept paper-based registration from those who are not capable to use the online registration.

“We will still accept paper-based registration from Senior citizens, or basically those who have difficulty in filling out the on line forms, or if the system is down,” Sandoval said.

The system a single data collection platform for arriving and departing passengers for purposes of establishing an integrated border control, health surveillance and economic data analysis.

It is an initiative of a sub-technical working group of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), chaired by the BI and a joint project with the DICT, the Department of Tourism, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice and National Privacy Commission. (PNA)