July 23, 2013 5:30pm from GMA News Starting in August, people from 151 countries may enter the country without a visa and stay in the Philippines for 30 days, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Tuesday. BI OIC Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the visa-free entry privilege of foreigners was extended from 21 days to 30 days as part of government efforts to attract more tourists. The Department of Tourism (DOT) aims to attract at least 10 million foreign tourists by 2016. Mison clarified that foreigners can only avail of the visa-free privilege if their passports are valid for at least six months beyond their intended period of stay. “They should also present return tickets to their country of origin or onward tickets to their next country of destination,” he said. Based on existing bilateral agreements, Mison said nationals from Israel and Brazil will continue to be admitted for an initial stay of 59 days. Mison said the new visa policy was adopted based on the circular that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued last July 1. The BI recently finished updating its computerized travel control systems in the different ports of entry to implement the new visa scheme. Ahhh, I get it, more for the humor thread! Larry
As a 'natural bred cynic'(in this province & country), let's see how much this will succeed......................after all, it's put into law by politicians, who need a 'buck' or two, after they lose their 'pork barrels'...........!
