Brian Poe, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to consider the reduction or complete removal of terminal fees for Filipino travellers.
In a statement released on Friday, 5th September, Poe declared: “Every peso counts for our countrymen. If the government is already taking 82 percent of terminal fee revenues, then a portion of that should go back to the passengers through subsidies or reductions. That will be a direct relief to the Filipino people.”
Poe referred to the recent budget hearing wherein acting transportation secretary Giovanni Lopez explained that 82 percent of all terminal fee revenues flow directly to the national treasury, but only 18 percent remains with the concessionaire to fund operations.
The lawmaker further pointed out how terminal fees rose significantly over the past several years.
Are Filipinos paying too high a price?
As of press time, Philippine domestic terminal charges are at PHP390, while international terminal fees saw a dramatic jump from PHP550 to PHP950.
In the case of seaports, the Batangas Port recently tried to implement a 233 percent fee increase, but halted the initiative following public protests.
Poe pointed out that this arrangement opens the door for Congress to legislate measures to reallocate part of those revenues as subsidies for passengers.
He declared: “If that’s the case, then Congress can step in and mandate that part of that budget should go back to passengers. Instead of collecting it all in bulk, we can use a portion to subsidize terminal fees. That way, the benefits are felt directly by the Filipino people.”
The lawmaker likewise reminded the department that transportation is a basic necessity.
As he put it: “People already pay for so many things like food, fuel, and utilities. If we can remove or at least subsidise terminal fees, even just for domestic travel, it will already be a big help. The goal of modernisation should be to make travel more convenient and accessible, not more costly.”
