Jamaine Punzalan

Departing passengers queue before the immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on July 4, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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More Immigration Counters at Terminal 3

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177017283536320230704-naia-3-immigration-counters-md-9.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Departing passengers queue before the immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on July 4, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED) </strong>— The House Committee on Tourism on Monday, February 23, approved a bill seeking to abolish the travel tax for Filipino travelers, citing the need to ease the financial burden on ordinary passengers and boost travel competitiveness.</p><p>The move is part of the Marcos Jr. administration’s priority agenda to boost domestic and international mobility.</p><p>Representative Eduardo Rama, who sponsored the bill, said the measure seeks to remove barriers that prevent ordinary Filipinos from exercising their constitutional right to travel.</p><p>“It is about making travel more accessible, easing the burden on traveling families, empowering students to expand their horizons with travel, and honoring the sacrifices of our overseas workers who wish to travel abroad for leisure,” Rama said.</p><p>Lawmakers argued that the travel tax has become an outdated burden, noting that foreign travel is no longer a luxury for many middle-class families.</p><p>“Noong panahon po kasi ng 1970s pa, travel is more of a luxury than a necessity, but times have changed. Pait po ang middle class ay bumibiyahe na rin. And itong travel tax has become burdensome to most of the Filipinos,” Rep. Paolo Marcoleta said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/10/marcos-wants-congress-to-scrap-travel-tax-pass-anti-dynasty-bill-before-june-2026-1448" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marcos wants Congress to scrap travel tax, pass anti-dynasty bill before June 2026</a></div><p>The Philippine travel tax was first imposed in 1977 during the martial law era under then‑President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. through Presidential Decree No. 1183, which consolidated and amended earlier travel tax laws as a government levy on Filipinos departing the country to help fund tourism‑related programs and infrastructure.</p><p>The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), represented by Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid, explained that travel tax collections reached approximately P8.7 billion in 2025, with 96% of the revenue coming from economy-class passengers.</p><p>He stressed that the funds support tourism infrastructure nationwide, including parks, heritage sites, rest areas, water and sewage facilities, and tourism enterprise zones.</p><p>“Ang travel tax po ay hindi lamang basta pondo o numero sa balance ng gobyerno. Ang bawat piso na nakokolekta natin ay may kwento ng serbisyo at kapakipakinabang na proyekto sa bawat sityo, barangay, munisipyo, syudad at lalawigan sa ating bansa,” Lapid said.</p><p>The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) highlighted the potential impact on education and cultural programs, as 40% of the travel tax funds the Higher Education Development Fund and 10% goes to NCCA.</p><p>CHED Chair Shirley Agrupis underscored that abolishing the travel tax without an alternative revenue source could lead to structural funding losses affecting scholarships, research, faculty development, and long-term higher education reforms.</p><p>“85.6% is coming from travel tax. The Higher Education Development Fund is not a routine budget item. It is the country&#x27;s only dedicated investment platform for long-term higher education reform,” Agrupis said.</p><p>“If the travel tax is repealed without a replacement revenue source, CHED-HEDF will lose 85.6% of its funding which comes for the 40% of the travel tax. This is a structural loss that directly affects scholarships, research, institutional upgrading, and Tourism Educational Program nationwide,” she added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/1/29/dot-travel-tax-supports-tourism-infrastructure-education-0100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOT: Travel tax supports tourism infrastructure, education</a></div><p>Lapid also warned that TIEZA operations could be disrupted, with around 300 of its 1,025 employees potentially displaced if the tax is removed without proper alternatives.</p><p>He emphasized the importance of designing flexible funding arrangements through trust funds or automatic appropriations to replace the volatile travel tax revenue.</p><p>Committee members acknowledged these concerns, assuring stakeholders that alternative funding mechanisms would be explored as the measure moves to the Ways and Means and Appropriations committees.</p><p>The panel also agreed to continue stakeholder consultations to balance relief for travelers with the protection of tourism, education, and culture funding.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/4/house-bill-seeks-to-scrap-travel-tax-1046" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">House bill seeks to scrap travel tax</a></div><div> </div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><iframe width="1201" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QiDk1ldglII" title="&#x27;Let me finish!&#x27; Raffy Tulfo, Christina Frasco nagkasagutan; pagtakbo sa 2028 naungkat" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1201" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OV5cUovPdg0" title="Marcos Jr. tiwala pa rin kay DOT Sec. Frasco | TV Patrol" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>MANILA (UPDATED) — The House Committee on Tourism on Monday, February 23, approved a bill seeking to abolish the travel tax for Filipino travelers, citing the need to ease the financial burden on ordinary passengers and boost travel competitiveness.</p><p>The move is part of the Marcos Jr. administration’s priority agenda to boost domestic and international mobility.</p><p>Representative Eduardo Rama, who sponsored the bill, said the measure seeks to remove barriers that prevent ordinary Filipinos from exercising their constitutional right to travel.</p><p>“It is about making travel more accessible, easing the burden on traveling families, empowering students to expand their horizons with travel, and honoring the sacrifices of our overseas workers who wish to travel abroad for leisure,” Rama said.</p><p>Lawmakers argued that the travel tax has become an outdated burden, noting that foreign travel is no longer a luxury for many middle-class families.</p><p>“Noong panahon po kasi ng 1970s pa, travel is more of a luxury than a necessity, but times have changed. Pait po ang middle class ay bumibiyahe na rin. And itong travel tax has become burdensome to most of the Filipinos,” Rep. Paolo Marcoleta said.</p>

<p>House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos filed Wednesday a bill seeking to abolish travel tax “to uphold the constitutional right to travel and to stimulate economic growth.”</p>

House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos filed Wednesday a bill seeking to abolish travel tax “to uphold the constitutional right to travel and to stimulate economic growth.”

House bill seeks to scrap travel tax

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House bill seeks to scrap travel tax

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 04, 2026 10:46 AM PHT

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Updated February 23, 2026 10:24 PM PHT

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travel tax

House of Representatives

Marcos

TIEZA

CHED

NCCA

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