Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. Photo courtesy of Kiko Pangilinan/Facebook.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has filed a bill in the Senate seeking to eliminate travel taxes for Filipinos traveling overseas.
The measure, Senate Bill No. 1843, or the “An Act Abolishing the Travel Tax,” aims to reduce travel costs, particularly for passengers with limited financial means.
Under current regulations, economy class passengers pay Php 1,620, while those in business and first classes are required to pay Php 2,700. Pangilinan described the travel tax as an economic burden that limits the ability of Filipinos to travel freely, a right protected under the 1987 Constitution.
He added that lowering travel costs could boost international passenger traffic, increase spending on transport, accommodation, and other services, and generate broader economic benefits.
Pangilinan also highlighted that increased travel activity could strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges and enhance the Philippines’ competitiveness as an accessible destination.
If enacted, the programs currently funded by travel taxes would be supported instead by government budgets. The Department of Tourism (DOT) would cover the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) would fund the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) would support the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA).
Government agencies and private operators would be prohibited from collecting travel taxes, and passengers who already paid the tax for departures after the law’s enactment would be eligible for a refund.
Similar proposals have been filed by Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, and Erwin Tulfo, while a counterpart bill was previously introduced in the House of Representatives by Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos. The measure is also listed among the priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expecting its passage by June.