The Roadshow as undertaken to disseminate information on the ABTC scheme to Philippine businesses and increase the base of Filipino ABTC holders in the country.
“This was the foundation of the APEC Business Travel Card . We hope that the Roadshow can pave the way in attracting more domestic and foreign ABTC applicants because as of December 31, 2019, there are only 1,170 active Filipino cardholders,” Delfin noted. In the briefing/presentation, the requirements in applying for the ABTC looked tough as the businessman must accomplish about 13 or more documentation, and once the application is accepted by OCA-Visa the document journey to approval takes about three to five months.
Espeleta added that to make the ABTC more accessible to businessmen it must be more inclusive and decentralized and he asked how the Cebu Chamber can help in accessing the APEC-ABTC and make it as one of its services to the members.