More Press Releases

House approval boosts Cayetano’s Senate bill to abolish travel tax

Alan Peter Cayetano - Senate Minority Leader Banner
House approval boosts Cayetano’s Senate bill to abolish travel tax

As efforts to abolish the travel tax gain momentum, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the House of Representatives’ approval of a similar bill he earlier filed in the Senate at the start of the 20th Congress in July 2025.

This came after the House Committee on Tourism approved the same measure on February 23, 2026, citing the need to make travel more affordable for ordinary passengers and to strengthen 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 part of his priority measures this Congress, Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 424 — the pioneering bill to abolish travel tax  — to encourage travel among Filipinos, reduce financial strain 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The travel tax, imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183 nearly five decades ago, was described by Cayetano as outdated and no longer aligned with present economic realities and regional commitments.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 bill also proposes exempting 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 is yet to be tackled by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, cited studies estimating that while the abolition of the travel tax may result in foregone revenues, increased travel and tourism spending could generate far greater gains for the broader economy.

“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 bill scrapping the travel tax before the end of the current session.

Travel tax abolishment bill ni Cayetano tuloy ang momentum matapos ang House approval

Tuloy-tuloy ang pag-usad ng panukalang pagbasura sa travel tax matapos aprubahan ng House of Representatives ang bersyon nito ng nauna nang inihain sa Senado ni Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano sa pagbubukas ng 20th Congress noong July 2025.

Inaprubahan nitong February 23, 2026 ng House Committee on Tourism ang naturang hakbang kasunod ng panawagang gawing mas abot-kaya ang paglalakbay para sa mga ordinaryong pasahero at palakasin ang tourism competitiveness ng bansa.

“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,” wika ni Cayetano.

Bahagi ito ng priority bills ng senador ngayong Kongreso, kung saan itinutulak niya ang Senate Bill No. 424 — ang kauna-unahang panukala para sa abolishment ng travel tax — upang hikayatin ang mas maraming Pilipino na bumiyahe, mabawasan ang pasaning pinansyal ng mga pamilya, mapasigla ang turismo, at palakasin ang regional mobility sa loob ng 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,” wika ni Cayetano sa kanyang panukala.

Ang travel tax ay ipinataw sa ilalim ng Presidential Decree No. 1183 halos limang dekada na ang nakalilipas. Ayon kay Cayetano, hindi na ito tugma sa kasalukuyang kalagayang pang-ekonomiya at sa mga regional commitments ng bansa.

Nakasaad din sa kanyang panukala ang pagbibigay ng exemption sa mga mamamayan ng ASEAN alinsunod sa ASEAN Tourism Agreement of 2002, na naglalayong unti-unting alisin ang mga travel levy sa pagitan ng mga kasaping bansa.

Binabanggit sa bill ang mga pag-aaral na nagsasabing kahit may mawawalang kita ang gobyerno sa pag-alis ng travel tax, maaari namang mabawi ito — at higit pa — sa mas mataas na gastusin sa turismo at paglalakbay na magpapasigla sa mas malawak na ekonomiya.

Ang panukalang ito ay nakatakdang talakayin ng Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

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

Ang panibagong pagtulak sa panukala ay kasunod ng panawagan ni Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa Kongreso na unahin ang pagpasa ng batas na magtatanggal sa travel tax bago magtapos ang kasalukuyang sesyon.

House approval boosts Cayetano’s Senate bill to abolish travel tax

As efforts to abolish the travel tax gain momentum, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the House of Representatives’ approval of a similar bill he earlier filed in the Senate at the start of the 20th Congress in July 2025. 

This came after the House Committee on Tourism approved the same measure on February 23, 2026, citing the need to make travel more affordable for ordinary passengers and to strengthen 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 part of his priority measures this Congress, Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 424 — the pioneering bill to abolish travel tax  — to encourage travel among Filipinos, reduce financial strain 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 bill also proposes exempting 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 is yet to be tackled by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, cited studies estimating that while the abolition of the travel tax may result in foregone revenues, increased travel and tourism spending could generate far greater gains for the broader economy.

“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 bill scrapping the travel tax before the end of the current session.

Travel tax abolishment bill ni Cayetano tuloy ang momentum matapos ang House approval

Tuloy-tuloy ang pag-usad ng panukalang pagbasura sa travel tax matapos aprubahan ng House of Representatives ang bersyon nito ng nauna nang inihain sa Senado ni Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano sa pagbubukas ng 20th Congress noong July 2025.

Inaprubahan nitong February 23, 2026 ng House Committee on Tourism ang naturang hakbang kasunod ng panawagang gawing mas abot-kaya ang paglalakbay para sa mga ordinaryong pasahero at palakasin ang tourism competitiveness ng bansa.

“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,” wika ni Cayetano.

Bahagi ito ng priority bills ng senador ngayong Kongreso, kung saan itinutulak niya ang Senate Bill No. 424 — ang kauna-unahang panukala para sa abolishment ng travel tax — upang hikayatin ang mas maraming Pilipino na bumiyahe, mabawasan ang pasaning pinansyal ng mga pamilya, mapasigla ang turismo, at palakasin ang regional mobility sa loob ng 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,” wika ni Cayetano sa kanyang panukala.

Ang travel tax ay ipinataw sa ilalim ng Presidential Decree No. 1183 halos limang dekada na ang nakalilipas. Ayon kay Cayetano, hindi na ito tugma sa kasalukuyang kalagayang pang-ekonomiya at sa mga regional commitments ng bansa.

Nakasaad din sa kanyang panukala ang pagbibigay ng exemption sa mga mamamayan ng ASEAN alinsunod sa ASEAN Tourism Agreement of 2002, na naglalayong unti-unting alisin ang mga travel levy sa pagitan ng mga kasaping bansa.

Binabanggit sa bill ang mga pag-aaral na nagsasabing kahit may mawawalang kita ang gobyerno sa pag-alis ng travel tax, maaari namang mabawi ito — at higit pa — sa mas mataas na gastusin sa turismo at paglalakbay na magpapasigla sa mas malawak na ekonomiya.

Ang panukalang ito ay nakatakdang talakayin ng Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

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

Ang panibagong pagtulak sa panukala ay kasunod ng panawagan ni Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa Kongreso na unahin ang pagpasa ng batas na magtatanggal sa travel tax bago magtapos ang kasalukuyang sesyon.

Share This Post

alanpetercayetano.com

Copyright © 2025 Alan Peter Cayetano

Facebook Youtube

ALAN PETER CAYETANO

Facebook Youtube