THE Bureau of Immigration has asked Filipinos arriving from overseas trips to use the airport’s electronic gates. 

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said e-gates can reduce processing time from 45 seconds to 8 seconds. 

Government data shows that on the last day of October, a total of 32,045 passengers arrived, but only 5,210 utilized the e-gates.

“Departures significantly increased before Undas, and we project that arrivals will rise in the next few days after the long holiday,” said Tansingco.

At present, a total of 21 e-gates are distributed in major international airports nationwide.

Tansingco said that, upon approval of the BI’s budget, they plan to increase efficiency by adding more e-gates and aim to replace 50% of their manual operations by 2026.