House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III endorsed the proposal to abolish the travel tax for international airline passengers, describing it as “a practical, equitable, and progressive reform.”
Dy made the statement after the House successfully secured the proposal’s inclusion in the priority legislative agenda of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) during a meeting at Malacañang.
“Before ending, Mr. President, we also urge the inclusion of the Abolition of the Travel Tax among the LEDAC priority measures as it is a practical, equitable, and progressive reform that encourages tourism and supports our regional integration efforts,” Dy said.
The measure, House Bill 7443, was filed by Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos.
Dy added that abolishing the tax would help make the Philippines more competitive and open to global tourism.
Currently, departing airline passengers pay ₱1,620 for economy class and ₱2,700 for first class, under Presidential Decree No. 1183 and the Tourism Act of 2009.
Other LEDAC priority measures include proposals addressing online sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation materials (OSAEC/CSAEM), the anti-fake news and digital disinformation bill, and the resetting of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections.