The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) has recommended the relaxation of immigration rules on foreign nationals with visas from certain countries in a move to stimulate tourism in the country.
But President Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered a more thorough study on the PSAC proposal that would ease the entry of foreigners who are American, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore and UK (AJACSSUK) visa holders due to security concerns.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), said while the President sees “no major obstacle” on the matter especially since other countries are already practicing or offering the same, he still wants to look into it further.
PSAC also recommended to allow foreign nationals with AJACS (American, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen) visa holders to extend their visa-free stay in the Philippines to 30 days.
PSAC sees an opportunity to attract more tourists with the use of the biometric systems in ensuring ease of entry into the country.
The PCO said the President also wants a thorough review of the PSAC’s recommendation to enhance the immigration system by using a digital identification system that utilizes biometric data, such as facial recognition or fingerprint, to ensure seamless transaction and secure travel processing.
“It’s just a question really of putting the systems in and getting the hardware, and then slowly educating everybody how to use that hardware. For me, it’s just a question of adopting the technology and learning how to use it. As I said, everybody else in the world is doing it already,” Marcos had said during the meeting.
The President had approved PSAC’s other recommendations such as the holding of a nationwide “Shopping Festival Philippines” that would coincide with the upcoming New Year’s celebrations.
PSAC said this aims to incentivize international visitors, encourage higher spending and boost tourism revenue.
“We’ve talked about this shopping festival. Again, I think it’s properly categorized as an easy win. So, we’ll do that,” Marcos was quoted as saying in response to the measure.
This comes at the heels of the President’s signing into law of Republic Act No. 12079 or the VAT Refund Law which allows non-resident tourists to claim a refund on the Value Added Tax for goods personally purchased at accredited retail outlets within 60 days, provided they meet a minimum transaction requirement of P3,000.
An estimated 30 percent increase in tourist spending is projected with the new law, benefitting both large-scale industries and micro, small, and medium enterprises.
The Department of Tourism is targeting 8.8 million tourist arrivals in 2025.
