A proposed P10.7 billion border security project is being positioned as an expansion of the Philippines’ existing immigration technology rather than a replacement for systems already in use. The Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (Caiss) project is expected to eventually extend beyond airports to other entry points, including seaports, land borders, and traditional sea routes in the southern Philippines.
Securiport LLC Chief Technology Officer Nate Carpenter said the project was designed to operate alongside the government’s current technology infrastructure. “This is not a duplication at all,” Carpenter said in an online interview with reporters on the sidelines of the 21st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Traveler Identification Program (TRIP) Symposium in Montreal, Canada.
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Caiss Designed to Work With Existing Immigration Systems
Carpenter said Securiport’s technology would add capabilities to systems that government agencies have already purchased and deployed rather than replacing them. “We built our system at Securiport to fit into the government’s ecosystem,” Carpenter said. “They do not replace the systems that are there. They enhance the systems that are there.”
The proposed system comes as authorities examine how Caiss would complement existing Bureau of Immigration (BI) tools, including e-gates and the Advance Passenger Information (API) system. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said stronger immigration infrastructure is needed to address transnational crimes, human trafficking, terrorism, and other emerging security threats.
Caiss is being proposed as a public-private partnership that would use advanced biometric systems, real-time risk assessment, integrated databases, and automated border control technologies. The BI said its current API system, launched in March 2025, already covers 97.88 percent of international flights nationwide.
Rather than simply moving the existing API from batch to interactive processing, Caiss is envisioned as an intelligence and integration layer. It could bring together API information with Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, biometric information, and other records to support decisions at the border.
PNR information can become available four to 48 hours before departure and may contain booking and travel details such as payment information, email addresses, travel frequency and seat assignment
Biometrics, E-Gates and Wider Border Coverage
The proposed platform would also enable one-to-many biometric matching. This would allow facial, fingerprint, and iris data to be compared with historical records instead of limiting checks to a one-passport-to-one-traveler match.
According to the BI, combining these data sources could help authorities detect discrepancies and identify travelers requiring closer scrutiny, while enabling low-risk passengers to move through automated border controls more quickly.
The system is also designed to work with e-gates already deployed or planned by the government. “Our system integrates with e-gates. We are happy if the government has them,” Carpenter said, adding that Securiport has integrated its technology with e-gate systems used by other clients.
The clarification follows questions about how Caiss relates to the BI’s separate P1.347-billion Phase II e-gate expansion project. The proposed Caiss system is intended to eventually cover airports, seaports, land borders, and traditional sea routes in the southern Philippines.
By combining passenger information, biometric checks, and automated controls, the project aims to strengthen border screening while speeding up the movement of lower-risk travelers. Its broader impact will depend on how effectively the technology connects with existing systems and how consistently it can be deployed across the country’s many points of entry, where stronger security and faster processing directly affect travelers, businesses and the movement of people and goods.
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