Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco expressed his support for the move to invite more overseas Filipinos to visit the country as embodied in a proposal made by House of Representatives Minority Leader Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan.
Libanan, who is representative of the 4Ps partylist, saw the need to lure more overseas Filipinos to visit the Philippines.
He said that the spending of overseas Filipinos who visit the Philippines can boost up the country’s tourism revenues and job growth to a great extent.
This was echoed by Tansingco, who reiterated that former Filipinos from non-visa required countries, together with their spouse and children who are traveling with them, get one year visa-free stay as part of their Balikbayan privilege.
The BI’s stance complements the Department of Tourism’s goal to attract more international tourists.
“Our focus on supporting tourism aligns with the larger goal of creating vibrant and sustainable connections with our global Filipino community,” said Tansingco.
BI records show that in 2023, the Philippines recorded a total of 12,681,231 arrivals, with substantial passengers from America and Canada, which are key destinations for Filipino migrants.
Americans totaling 1,186,135 and Canadians with 271,955 contributed to the arrivals, many of which are former Filipinos and their families who spent their holidays in the Philippines.
