Guam official wants U.S. to waive visas for Filipinos traveling to the island

Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s chief economic and international affairs adviser is trying to get the Philippine government’s support in convincing the U.S. government to waive the U.S. visa requirement for Filipinos visiting Guam.

Guam’s chief economic adviser Carl T.C. Gutierrez is seeking the Philippines support in convincing the U.S. government to waive U.S. visa requirements for Filipinos traveling to Guam.

Leon Guerrero said she’s aware of former Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez’s visit to Manila and his efforts to get the Philippine government’s support. She said she would be grateful if the Department of Homeland Security grants a visa waiver for Filipino tourists.

But the governor said she hasn’t written a letter to Homeland Security to make a formal request. Gutierrez said citizens from Japan and South Korea have been allowed for decades to travel to Guam without a visa, according to Pacific Daily News.

Nearly all of Guam’s foreign skilled labor under the H-2B visa program come from the Philippines. In January, however, Homeland Security removed the Philippines from the list of countries eligible to participate in the program. It allows authorization on a case-by-case basis.

Guam’s governor from 1995 to 2003, Gutierrez told Philippine officials many Filipinos can now afford to travel abroad without overstaying, because their standard of living has changed.