Senator Alan Peter Cayetano supports calls for travel tax abolition

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the House of Representatives’ approval of a measure similar to the bill he filed in the Senate at the opening of the 20th Congress in July 2025.

The development followed the House Committee on Tourism’s approval of the proposal on February 23, 2026, citing the need to make travel more affordable for ordinary passengers and to enhance the country’s competitiveness in tourism.

“This shows that there is growing recognition that the travel tax has become an added cost for families and workers who simply want to travel for work, study, or to be with loved ones,” Cayetano said.

As one of his priority measures, Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 424 — the pioneering bill to abolish the travel tax — to encourage travel among Filipinos, ease the financial burden on families, boost tourism, and promote regional mobility 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 senator said in his measure.

The travel tax, imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183 nearly five decades ago, was described by Cayetano as outdated and no longer aligned with present economic realities and regional commitments.

His proposal also seeks to exempt ASEAN nationals from the travel tax, in line with the ASEAN Tourism Agreement of 2002, which calls for the gradual removal of travel levies among member states.

Cayetano’s bill, which has yet to be taken up by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, cited studies estimating that while abolishing the travel tax could lead to foregone revenues, increased travel and tourism spending would likely generate far greater economic gains.

“It is high time to give travelers a break and allow for tourism to flourish by removing one of the barriers to travel,” he said.

The renewed push comes as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Congress to prioritize the passage of a measure scrapping the travel tax before the close of the current session.