The Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos-backed travel tax abolition bill--which seeks to scrap the much-panned fee among travelers--has been passed on second reading on Wednesday night, March 11.

Approved via simple voice vote (ayes vs. nayes) during plenay session Wednesday was House Bill (HB) No.8464, as contained in Committee Report No.156 that was endorsed to the plenary by the Committee on Tourism.

Deputy Speaker Misamis Oriental 2nd district Rep. Yevgeny Vicente Emano, the presiding officer at that time, officially declared the penultimate approval of the measure following the vote.

The travel tax abolition bill is a priority measure under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). The second-reading approval Wednesday sets the stage for the bill's potential passage on third and final reading next week.

It was earlier that same afternoon when the funding provision of the bill was green-lit by the Committee on Appropriations. The bill was then returned to the tourism panel, its mother committee. 

The proposal is mainly anchored on HB No. 7443, authored by Rep. Marcos, the House majority leader. The second-termer is pushing for the repeal of the travel tax imposed under Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1183 and related provisions of the Tourism Act of 2009.

Doing so, Rep. Marcos said, would ease the cost of travel for Filipinos and remove what he described as an outdated financial burden on passengers.

“The travel tax was created in a very different economic context. Today, it has become an added cost that restricts mobility and weighs heavily on ordinary Filipinos who simply want to travel for work, family or opportunity,” the presidential son said.

Under his bill, the fixed charges — currently reaching ₱2,700 for first-class passengers and ₱1,620 for economy travelers — would be repealed.

Rep. Marcos said these amounts quickly add up for families and divert resources that could otherwise be spent on basic needs or local economic activity.

Sponsoring HB No.8464 in plenary on Wednesday night was tourism panel chairman, Romblon lone district Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona.

"In retrospect, the logic behind the imposition of travel tax is to introduce a regulatory framework that will serve as a deterrent to foreign travels, while establishing a new mechanism to generate additional revenues," he noted.

"This additional cost to travel, however, has become an unnecessary burden, especially among ordinary Filipino families that could have used the amount to essential household needs. The continued imposition of travel tax suppresses travel demands, dampens tourism growth, and discourage mobility, among others," Madrona said in justifying the bill before his colleagues.

"Hence, the proposed abolition of travel tax is but a timely initiative that will not only reduce travel costs, but will also stimulate tourism-dependent sectors and encourage our countrymen to travel, thereby fostering economic opportunities and cultural exchange," he further said.