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DBM released P1.347B for E-gates project

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday announced it has released a total of P1.347 billion to fund the ongoing Electronic Gates (E-gates) project at major international gateways across the country. The E-gates project modernizes and digitizes the primary inspection process at the country's international gateways to further strengthen national security, improve efficiency, and elevate the overall experience of passengers while addressing issues of immigration congestion, according to the DBM. "To fulfill President Bongbong Marcos' directive of providing convenience to travelers, whether locals or foreign visitors, and reduce long queues at immigration counters, the DBM already released the budget allocation for the E-gates project for 2025 amounting to P1.347 billion," said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. "I would also like to note that in 2024, we were also able to release P1.976 billion to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for them to procure for the phase 1 of the project. Magpapatuloy po 'yan hanggang phase 3 sa 2026. This year, nasa phase 2 na po tayo and we are appealing to the BI na tapusin na agad ang procurement process para maging fully operational na ang E-gates project as soon as possible," added the Budget chief. Several existing e-gates were installed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and will be expanded to other premier international gateways in the country's, according to the DBM. The expansion of the E-gates project is set to enhance the efficiency of security and immigration processes by catering to arriving and departing passengers, regardless of their citizenship, the Budget Department said. The project is expected to replace 50% of the overall manned inspection counters with modernized technology. Based on the project's modernization plan, the deployment of e-gates and corresponding funding provision will be distributed to the following airports/seaport: NAIA Terminals I & III Clark International Airport Mactan Cebu International Airport Davao International Airport Kalibo International Airport Boracay-Caticlan International Airport Zamboanga International Seaport Laoag International Airport Bohol-Panglao International Airport Puerto Princesa International Airport Meanwhile, the target date for the full employment of operational e-gates is set on or before December 15, 2025, according to the DBM.— AOL, GMA Integrated News