BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
Sep 3, 2023 09:09 AM
Filipinos who are going abroad to see their foreign partners are no longer required starting today, Sept. 3, to undergo the guidance and counseling program (GCP) of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
In a statement, Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the scrapping of the GCP requirement was issued by the CFO, a member of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), to lessen the requirements for departing Filipinos.
All immigration officers have been informed of the new CFO rule, Tansingco said.
“The inter-agency council is committed to continuously review departure requirements for departing Filipinos to adapt to current trends,” Tansingco said.
“The BI, as an implementing agency, is ready to implement changes in departure guidelines, as deemed fit by members of the inter-agency,” he added.
He said he received a letter last Aug. 31 from CFO Chairperson Romulo Arugay who informed the BI of the latest rule.
“The GCP was initially a requirement for Filipinos with foreign partners departing to meet or marry abroad,” he also said.
He pointed out that the new rule is part of the 2023 Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for Internationally-Bound Filipino Travelers.
Earlier, IACAT had announced the suspension of the implementation of the revised guidelines which were supposed to be implemented today, Sept. 3.
Several quarters have raised their objections to the revised guidelines claiming the new rules violate a person’s right to travel.
The Senate had requested IACAT to defer the implementation of the new guidelines. Its request was granted.
