BI chief defends P10.7-B border security upgrade plan

Bureau of Immigration (BI) commissioner Joel Anthony Viado defended a proposed P10.7-billion border security upgrade during a House budget hearing, describing the project as an essential, zero-cost modernization to protect the country from transnational crime and terrorism.

The proposed public-private partnership with U.S.-based Securiport LLC, named the Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services project, aims to overhaul the nation's immigration framework using biometric technology, advanced behavioral analytics, real-time Interpol integration, and pre-arrival passenger screening.

Addressing lawmakers, Viado stated that the government lacks the revenue to fund such a comprehensive system independently. Under the proposed 20-year agreement, Securiport would cover the full P10.74-billion capital investment, upgrade system technology every four years, and train immigration personnel without using taxpayer funds.

The project proposes a P240 one-way service fee on traveling passengers, which Viado clarified is not a tax and falls well below international standards set by neighboring countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan.

Responding to concerns raised by Representative Leila de Lima and Representative Edgar Erice regarding the financial burden on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), Viado clarified that OFWs are legally exempt from the charge.

Under Department of Migrant Workers regulations and existing labor rules, recruitment fees and ticket-related costs are borne entirely by foreign employers.

Regarding operational details, Viado emphasized that the system relies on decision-support tools, including real-time facial analysis and open-source intelligence, but final entry decisions remain under the sovereign authority of Philippine immigration officers. He added that the Philippine government retains exclusive control over all collected data.

Addressing criticisms over a projected 95-5 revenue split with the private vendor, Viado explained that the government's share would directly fund immigration modernization and the National Treasury, while the vendor's portion covers multi-decade operational and technology costs.

The proposal underwent an unchallenged Swiss Challenge process and has been under multi-agency review by the Department of Justice, the Department of Finance, the Public-Private Partnership Center, and the Office of the Solicitor General for two years. Viado confirmed that no formal contract has been signed and committed to submitting all project documentation to the House panel ahead of plenary budget deliberations.