6 Senate bills pending to scrap travel taxPassengers arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on January 29, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Six separate measures are now pending in the Senate to dismantle the decades-old travel tax, with Sen. Francis Pangilinan filing the latest bid to remove what he describes as an “economic burden” that stifles the mobility of ordinary Filipinos. “By lowering the cost of international travel, we expect to stimulate passenger volume, increase spending on transport, accommodation, food and services and generate positive spillovers across the economy,” Pangilinan stated in the bill’s explanatory note. “Increased travel activity also strengthens people-to-people exchanges and supports the Philippines’ positioning as a competitive and accessible destination,” he added. The travel tax was first imposed in 1977 by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. through Presidential Decree 1183.

Source: Philippine Star February 18, 2026 04:18 UTC