Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands could see expanded air links and a wider mix of tourists if Filipino travelers gain visa-free entry, the leaders of both territories told federal officials in a recent appeal.
Guam Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero and CNMI Gov. David M. Apatang made the case in a May 21, 2026 letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, asking that the Philippines be granted eligibility under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Apatang also filed a separate request under federal law pressing for the country’s addition, The Manila Times reported.
The two governors framed the request around national strategy, arguing that closer links with Manila serve American interests across the Indo-Pacific. “Including the Philippines reinforces the United States’ longstanding partnership with a key treaty ally,” they wrote, pointing to commercial engagement, regional connectivity and people-to-people ties as factors that bolster US economic, diplomatic and security goals.
A central part of their argument rested on transportation. Both jurisdictions sit in relative isolation in the Western Pacific, and the governors said visa-free access for Filipinos would lift passenger demand and prompt carriers to add routes connecting the islands with the Philippines.
They also tied the proposal to economic resilience, contending that a broader visitor base would steady both local economies. “Expanding the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program to include the Philippines would help diversify visitor markets, support economic stability, and strengthen broader commercial activity in both Guam and the CNMI,” the governors stated.
Existing border and immigration safeguards would stay intact under the request, the governors said. They characterized the Philippines as already woven into the islands through lawful travel, schooling, family connections and trade — a base they said makes future travel flows both responsible and easy to manage.
