Dennis Gasgonia

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA – A lawmaker on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to remove or even subsidize terminal fees for Filipino travelers, just as it also told the agency to lower licensing costs for motorcycles.  In a statement, FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe said terminal fees have become a burden to Filipinos, saying terminal fees rose to P390 in domestic travels and P950 in international travels.  “If the government is already taking 82 percent of terminal fee revenues, then a portion of that should go back to the passengers through subsidies or reductions. That will be direct relief to the Filipino people,” Poe said in a statement. Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, for his part, said 82 percent of terminal fee revenue are remitted to the national treasury but 18 percent goes to the concessionaire for operational costs. But Poe said some of those revenues must be reallocated as subsidies to passengers.  “Instead of collecting it all in bulk, we can use a portion to subsidize terminal fees. That way, the benefits are felt directly by the Filipino people,” he said. Lopez said this was possible through a law. “If it becomes a law and does not violate existing concession agreements, then of course the Executive will follow what Congress mandates,” said Lopez.Terminal fees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are set to increase this month, the first terminal fee increase in 20 years.The fee will go up to P950 from P550 for departing international flights  while the domestic flight terminal fee almost doubles to P390 from P200 per passenger.The increase in fees plans to fund renovations in Terminals 1 and 3 plus installation of e-gates by December.<div>LOWER MOTORCYCLE LICENSING FEES</div>Meanwhile, the lawmaker also urged the DOTr and the Land Transportation Office to bring down the cost of motorcycle license, noting that the “high fees are one of the main reasons why many riders remain unlicensed.”For Poe, “more than half” of motorcycle violators do not have any license. At present, licensing fees range between P400 and P600, but the lawmaker said while this does not seem huge to some, this costs a lot most especially to a minimum wage earner.  “That is already one day’s full salary. On top of that, they have to miss work to apply, so effectively they are paying the equivalent of two days’ wages just to get one license. For many of our kababayans, that’s too heavy a burden,” he said, based on the statement.“On top of that, they have to miss work to apply, so effectively they are paying the equivalent of two days’ wages just to get one license. For many of our kababayans, that’s too heavy a burden,” he said. Around 61 percent of vehicles across the Philippines are motorcycles, Poe said, but “they also account for 36 percent of all road accidents.: Seventy-six percent of these, according to the lawmaker, are fatal. Lopez said the DOTr and LTO continue to strengthen their theoretical and practical exams to all riders. This includes, the official said, motorcycle-specific questionnaires, new driving courses, among others. He added they regularly consult with motorcycle groups to check how they could lower licensing fees. Poe, however, said riders would resort to driving without training and without documentation “if licensing remains out of reach.” “By lowering the cost and making it easier to comply, we can encourage more riders to go through the legal and safe process. That is far cheaper than the social cost of road accidents,” he said.In 2023, the LTO said more than half, or 60 percent of the total number of vehicles nationwide, were unregistered in 2022.Only 14 million out of the 38 million vehicles nationwide were registered. The agency said a possible reason for the large number of unregistered vehicles could be the movement restrictions during the height of the pandemic, which left many old vehicles, especially motorcycles, un-maintained and unusable.

A lawmaker on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to remove or even subsidize terminal fees for Filipino travelers, just as it also told the agency to lower licensing costs for motorcycles.

A lawmaker on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to remove or even subsidize terminal fees for Filipino travelers, just as it also told the agency to lower licensing costs for motorcycles.

Lawmaker tells DOTr: Remove terminal fees for travelers, lower motorcycle licensing costs

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Lawmaker tells DOTr: Remove terminal fees for travelers, lower motorcycle licensing costs

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 05, 2025 08:47 PM PHT

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DOTr

Brian Poe

terminal fees

motorcycle

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