Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the Marcos administration’s initiative to prioritize a measure that abolishes the travel tax as part of the key legislation in the 20th Congress.
This after Malacañang announced that the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) included the bill as part of the government’s latest priority measures.
“This is good news for thousands of travelers as it will make travel more accessible for Filipinos.”
“This is good news for thousands of travelers as it will make travel more accessible for Filipinos,” the Minority Leader said.
On July 10, 2025, Cayetano filed a bill seeking to abolish the travel tax with the aim to encourage travel among Filipinos, ease financial burdens, boost tourism, and strengthen ties within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“All Filipinos, especially senior citizens and persons with disabilities, must be able to travel freely, without any form of hindrance. This is a right guaranteed by the Constitution,” the veteran legislator said in his measure, Senate Bill No. 424.
The travel tax, imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183, was signed nearly five decades ago.
The seasoned lawmaker described it as outdated and no longer aligned with current economic and regional goals.
To support regional cooperation, the senator’s bill also proposes exempting ASEAN nationals from the travel tax, fulfilling the Philippines’ commitment under the ASEAN Tourism Agreement of 2002, which calls for the phasing out of travel levies among member states.
He cited a local airline study estimating that while the government may lose around P4 billion in revenue from the tax removal, the economy could gain as much as P299 billion through increased tourism and spending.
“By abolishing the travel tax, we inch closer towards realizing the freedom of movement that our fundamental law envisions for every citizen.”
“By abolishing the travel tax, we inch closer towards realizing the freedom of movement that our fundamental law envisions for every citizen,” Cayetano said.
He also pointed to an existing precedent — Memorandum Order No. 29 (2023), which exempts travelers departing from international airports in Mindanao and Palawan bound for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) from the travel tax until June 30, 2028.
Cayetano stressed that this measure aims to reduce travel costs for ordinary Filipinos, something he is determined to pursue.
“It is high time to give travelers a break and allow for tourism to flourish by removing one of the barriers to travel,” he concluded.
