Amending Executive Order No. 271 (S. 1995) Governing the Admission and Stay of Foreign Nationals in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone as Temporary Visitors

December 18, 2018

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 72

AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 271 (S. 1995) GOVERNING THE ADMISSION AND STAY OF FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THE SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE AS TEMPORARY VISITORS

WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 271 (s. 1995) provides for guidelines for the uncomplicated access of foreign nationals to specified areas in the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone (Zone), consistent with relevant issuances, in line with the declared policy of attracting and promoting foreign trade, investment and tourism in the country;

WHEREAS, EO No. 271 allows foreign nationals, not categorized as "restricted" as determined by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), visiting the Zone for business and/or tourism purposes to enter all ports of entry of the Zone and stay therein without visa for a maximum period of fourteen (14) days subject to certain conditions and provided that they shall leave or depart from the Philippines only through the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA);

WHEREAS, the Subic Bay Piers and Wharves have emerged as new destinations for international cruise ships, as shown by the number of cruise ship arrivals in 2018, with each international cruise ship carrying an average of 1,600 passengers and 1,000 crew members;

WHEREAS, it is anticipated that there will be a continued increase in cruise ship arrivals in the Subic Bay in 2019 and onwards; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to amend EO No. 271 to allow foreign nationals granted the visa-free privilege under the said EO to depart from the Subic Bay Piers and Wharves, besides the SBIA; CAIHTE

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Section 1 of EO No. 271 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 1. Foreign nationals, not categorized as "restricted" as determined by the DFA, visiting the Zone for business and/or tourism purposes may be allowed to enter all ports of entry of the Zone and stay therein without visa for a maximum period of fourteen (14) days; provided that upon arrival, they present their passports, Certificates of Identity or travel documents valid for at least six (6) months beyond the intended stay in the Zone and confirmed onward flight or marine vessel tickets. The determination of the identity and admissibility of the foreign national seeking to enter the Zone under this Executive Order shall be the primary responsibility of the Bureau of Immigration (BI)."

SECTION 2. Section 2 (a) of the same EO is also hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 2. Foreign nationals who enter the Zone under this Executive Order shall be subject to the following restrictions:

a. they shall leave or depart from the Philippines only through the Subic Bay International Airport or the Subic Bay Piers and Wharves, except as hereinafter provided;

xxx xxx xxx"

SECTION 3. Section 4 of the same EO is likewise hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 4. The DFA, BI and SBMA shall jointly implement this Executive Order. The said agencies, in consultation with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, shall issue guidelines to ensure that there will be no detriment to national security in the implementation of this Executive Order.

The DFA, BI and SBMA are hereby authorized to collect reasonable fees for the processing of no-visa entry and applications for visa waivers."

SECTION 4. Except for the foregoing amendments, all other provisions of EO No. 271 shall remain unchanged.

SECTION 5. If any provision of this Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. All orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. This Order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 18th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eighteen. DETACa

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 114, No. 53, p. 9022 on December 31, 2018.