NAIA to have facial-recognition e-gates in 6 months

MANILA, June 4 ------ The Philippines will roll out electronic gates with facial recognition capabilities in airports to reduce the queue in the gateway and improve services for travelers, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday, after inspecting the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. “We’re trying to make life easier for them na mabilis nga, hindi na sila hinahanapan ng kung ano-anong ID,” the President told reporters.

“The DMW [Department of Migrant Workers] is already providing an ID [for overseas Filipino workers] soon so that it will be easier for them to identify themselves so isa lang ang dala nila para makapasok sila sa lounge, maka-avail sila ng services at mabilis ang pagdaan sa kanila,” he said. “‘Yung mukha na lang nila. Soon, mukha na lang nila, ayun na. Hindi na kailangan bumunot ng passport, soon, magkakaroon na tayo niyan,” he added.

These new facial recognition e-gates will be available in 6 months, said Ramon Ang, chairman of the New NAIA Infra Corp (NNIC). “I think in about 6 months we will be able to roll out the biometric and facial recognition and it’s at no cost to the Philippine goverment and no additional cost to the public, to the traveling passenger,” he told ABS-CBN News in a chance interview. “Kung kailangan ng 30 o 50, we will provide everything pero lahat ng yan upon the recommendation of DOTr,” he said, referring to the Department of Transportation. The government has yet to finalize the plan, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said. “Fina-fine tune pa namin ‘yung numbers basta the priority is NAIA terminal 1 and terminal 3,” he said.

Last month, Marcos ordered the Justice department to increase the number of Immigration e-gates in airports to better facilitate the departure and arrival of local and foreign travelers. The President said he inspected the NAIA terminal 3 on Tuesday to assess new efforts installed in the country’s main gateway. Among the places he checked are the Immigration areas, lounges and rest areas for overseas Filipino workers and the pick-up bays for vehicles. “The best way is to go through it myself… We looked at the Immigration systems para malaman natin kung ano ang ating papagandahin. I wanted to see it for myself Marcos Jr. said. “I’ve been through this airport I don’t know how many times, and this is the nicest that I’ve seen and we will keep on going in that path,” he added.

In 2024, the NAIA maintained its status as the world’s worst airports, according to a study from Australian firm Compare the Market. Under the study, NAIA received a 6 out of 10 rating for efficiency, 6.6 for accessibility and 6.8 for cleanliness, lagging behind other Southeast Asian airports such as Singapore’s Changi Airport that ranked second best in the world, and behind Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport that landed on the list’s 11th place.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com