No more paper tickets needed

There’s no need to print your plane tickets any more. Passengers at all international ports of entry and exit in the country may present their electronic tickets using their smartphones and tablets.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said that the advisory from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agency, the Bureau of Immigration (BI), is effective immediately.

“This is another step to improve access to basic government services. We shall continue to work with all stakeholders to inject common sense and process logic into our systems,” De Lima said.

The new policy is by virtue of Operations Order No. SBM-2013-003, entitled “Removing the Requirement of Presentation of the Printed Hard Copy of Return and/or Onward Passage Ticket,” dated August 12.

RECOMMENDATION: We strongly advice our readers to still have a printed copy with them:

1. If the batteries of your phone are empty, you won’t fly. (Think of the daily brown-outs in the Philippines).

2. There is the word “international” in the title sentence. Maybe you will need a paper ticket for domestic flights.

3. It may need some time until all the guards and staff at the airport understand this new order.