The proposed ₱240 service fee for a modernized border security project is a small fraction of what other countries charge, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, who said it would be one of the cheapest in the world.
Speaking during a recent House of Representatives hearing on the proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Justice and its attached agencies, Viado defended the fee as a necessary step to modernize border control.
The ₱10.74-billion public-private partnership project, proposed by U.S.-based Securiport LLC, aims to install an integrated border security platform across 11 airports and border points. Under the Build-Train-Maintain-Transfer scheme, the private partner will shoulder the investment and recover costs through a $4 (around ₱240) fee per international traveler—or ₱480 round trip—integrated into airline tickets.
Global comparison
When pressed by lawmakers, Viado justified the proposed fee by citing international standards, emphasizing that the Philippines would charge significantly less than other countries.
“Compared to other countries, this is way below. This is actually the practice in other countries. The U.S., Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan have been doing this at costs that are much higher than what we are proposing,” Viado said.
He provided a comparative breakdown:
“Australia charges about 2,600 pesos per passenger. Singapore charges 2,400. Japan charges about 1,200. Hong Kong charges about 1,500. And Thailand charges about 1,800, Your Honor. We charge 240 pesos.”
Not a form of tax
Viado stressed that the proposed charge is a service fee, not a tax.
“Ito po kasi ay hindi po ito form ng tax. Ito po ay service fee,” he said, responding to concerns from lawmakers that the fee contradicts the government’s policy of reducing travel costs for Overseas Filipino Workers.
“Hindi po namin pwedeng ipasa sa madlang bayan, taong bayan, sa ordinary taxpayer po ang paggastos po dito. Ang gagastos po dito ay ang mga taong nagta-travel.”
Advanced features and OFWs
Viado detailed the system’s advanced capabilities, including facial recognition, behavioral analytics, and access to Interpol databases.
“Kahit po yung behavior ng isang tao, at the point wherein kinukuha yung information regarding him, any nervous tick, any facial contortion po can be read by the system to determine kung high risk po siya,” he explained.
The system also includes AI-assisted open-source intelligence, allowing authorities to access publicly available information from social media platforms.
“Meron din pong AI-assisted open-source intelligence, meaning, kung nagkataon po na, let’s say, 15, 20 years ago, on Facebook, meron po kayong nasabi which would—the system would read as amounting to or gearing towards terrorism, mababasa rin po yan, Your Honor,” Viado said.
When Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice raised concerns about the burden on OFWs, Viado clarified that foreign employers who benefit from Filipino labor would shoulder the cost.
“Ang employers po, under an executive order and under various agreements with other countries, ang sumasagot po niyan ng gastusin po sa pamasahe, at including na po, kung sakaling ma-approve-an po ito, ‘yung service fee po na ito ay sasagutin ng companies that intend to employ our OFWs.”
He added: “Ito po ‘yung mga kumpanyang kukuha po sakanila ang magbabayad.”
Viado was referring to Section 53 of the Revised POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-Based Overseas Filipino Workers (Governing Board Resolution No. 07-16, issued February 26, 2016).
The rules, now implemented by the Department of Migrant Workers, state that recruitment and placement costs are the responsibility of the principal or employer. These include visa, work and residence permits, round-trip airfare, transportation from the airport to the jobsite, the POEA processing fee, the OWWA membership fee, and any additional trade test or assessment required by the employer.
Contract still under review
Viado maintained that the project has not been finalized.
“The contract is still under review. We have not signed any contract,” Viado clarified.
“The CAISS project remains a proposed public-private partnership initiative intended to enhance immigration operations systems, real-time risk assessment, data integration, and automated border control technologies.”
Revenue sharing
During the hearing, Viado confirmed that the government would receive 5% of the projected ₱202 billion in total collections over 20 years, while the private proponent would receive 95%.
He said the government’s share would be remitted to the National Treasury to fund BI projects that would benefit the government.
Swiss challenge and foreign access
Viado said the project underwent a Swiss challenge, but no competitors submitted counterproposals.
Addressing concerns about a foreign company accessing Philippine data, he assured lawmakers that the government would retain sovereignty and control over all data.
“Sovereign function at control po dito sa datos po na ito is retained by the Philippine government,” he said. “The (proponent) only provides the tools and teaches our people how to operate them. But ultimately, ang control po—they will have no control over the data.”
The CAISS project includes access to billions of facial images, risk scoring, and integration with Interpol’s global network covering 194 countries. The system aims to combat human trafficking, smuggling, terrorism, money laundering, tax evasion, and organized crime.
The proponent also proposes to fund the first five years of capitalization, with regular system upgrades every four years throughout the 20-year period at no cost to the government.
The bidding process is moving forward, and Viado assured lawmakers that the user fee component remains under review by the Department of Finance, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Public-Private Partnership Center.
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