@tords.fam: Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado told the Senate on Thursday that the proposed Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) project remains under evaluation and that no final decision has been made on the proposal. Viado made the clarification during the Senate budget deliberations after Senate Committee on Finance Chair JV Ejercito asked him about the status of CAISS. Viado said the BI supports the modernization of the country’s border security system, but stressed that this should not be interpreted as automatic approval of the particular proposal or its terms. During the hearing, Viado also said he had directed the proponents to conduct public consultations on the proposed project to allow stakeholders to raise their concerns and provide inputs on CAISS and its proposed terms. He said the results and inputs gathered from the consultations would form part of the matters to be considered in the continuing evaluation of the proposal. In a statement following the hearing, Viado said the proponents must justify the proposed fee, technology, financial structure and other commercial terms, while government must independently determine whether these are necessary, reasonable and in the public interest. The Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) project is a proposed ₱10.7-billion modernization plan for Philippine border security that remains under evaluation with no final approval yet. [1, 2] Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado stated during September 2026 Senate budget hearings that the agency has not given final approval to the project or its commercial terms. [1, 2] Project Overview Cost: Estimated at ₱10.744 billion. Origin: An unsolicited public-private partnership (PPP) proposal submitted by U.S.-based Securiport LLC. The Department of Justice approved the framework in December 2025. Scope: Covers 11 international airports, one major international seaport, and six mobile border crossing stations. Technology: Includes automated electronic gates (e-gates), biometric identification, document verification, and data analytics. [1, 2, 3] Key Issues and Debates Passenger Fees: The proposal includes a one-way service fee of ₱240 (about $4) charged to travelers. BI stated this fee is still under comprehensive review for necessity and public interest. [1, 2, 3] Overlapping Budgets: Lawmakers and reports questioned a separate ₱1.35 billion procurement by the BI for new e-gate systems, asking if it overlaps with the larger CAISS proposal. [1, 2] Next Steps: Commissioner Viado directed project proponents to hold public consultations to gather stakeholder feedback before any final decisions are made. [1, 2] #senateofthephilippines #caiss #jvejercito #tordsfam

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Friday 25 September 2026 03:22:36 GMT