Christopher Concepcion
MARIANAS Visitors Authority Managing Director Christopher Concepcion said he supports the inclusion of the Philippines in the Guam-CNMI visa waiver program.
“We’re in full support of it. It is not just a Guam visa waiver program; it is a Guam-CNMI visa waiver program,” he added. “We really have no control on any federal matters, but we are in support of any effort to allow free access [of visitors] from the Philippines to the CNMI.”
Guam Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio have requested President Joe Biden to include the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program on the agenda at the summit hosted by Biden at the White House where he met with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Japan Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
Leon Guerrero and Tenorio said they both recognize “the invaluable contributions made by Filipinos to our communities [that] are vital in strengthening our diverse cultural tapestry and our ties with the broader Pacific region.”
Leon Guerrero and Tenorio also noted that the economy of the Philippines has been rapidly growing.
According to the Guam officials, removing the visa requirement for Filipinos who wish to travel to Guam and the CNMI would stimulate tourism, saying that the spending of Filipino travelers exceeds that of individuals of Guam’s primary markets.
“This would bolster Guam and the CNMI’s economic recovery efforts after the decline in tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Typhoon Mawar,” they added.
Including the Philippines in the CNMI-Guam visa waiver program will also align with the Biden administration’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, security, and inclusivity in the Indo-Pacific, Leon Guerrero and Tenorio said.
Under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, citizens of the following countries or jurisdictions can enter Guam and the CNMI without a pre-approved U.S. visa: Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
