President Bongbong Marcos has signed Administrative Order 24, streamlining the government’s one-stop electronic travel declaration system in a bid to efficiently conduct border control and health surveillance.
“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 stated.
The new order will take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation.
The eTravel “shall be used by the government to efficiently conduct border control, health surveillance, tourism statistics analysis, and other travel related procedures.”
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on eTravel System will also be created to “study and adopt measures, as maybe necessary, that will further improve the system, including its usage, management, and operation, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations”.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will co-chair the TWG.
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.
