Malacañang on Thursday said major airlines have heeded the government’s request to ease airfare rates to key tourist destinations, particularly Siargao.

The statement came after Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco flagged high airfares as one of the challenges facing the country’s tourism industry.

On social media, netizens have criticized airlines for imposing steep fares, especially to Batanes and Siargao, which they said are often more expensive than flights to destinations such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

“Actually, napag-uusapan po talaga iyan. Issue po iyan na mas lumalabas na mas mataas ang airfare patungo, halimbawa na lang sa Siargao as compared kung pupunta sa ibang bansa,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said during a press briefing.

Castro said several factors contribute to higher airfares, including operational costs and fluctuating fuel prices.

“Unang-una po, may mga nag-o-operate, mga smaller aircraft na nakakapag-accommodate lamang ng 60 to 70 passengers pero pareho po ng operational cost as compare sa jet economics na nakakapag-accommodate ng 200 passengers. So, kung tutuusin ninyo, mas mahal po talaga ‘pag smaller craft ang magagamit pero karaniwan po talaga smaller craft lang ang puwedeng bumiyahe sa mga magagandang destinasyon dito sa Pilipinas,” she said.

Castro added that acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez is closely monitoring the situation and has already negotiated with major airline operators, including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

“Pangalawa po ay sinabi rin po niya na nakapag-negotiate na po siya at nakapag-usap na po sa pamunuan ng PAL at Cebu Pacific at nag-agree naman po na mababawasan ang presyo lalong-lalo na po sa Siargao flights, ‘ayan po. At may mga problema rin po patungkol sa fluctuating fuel cost pero kapag po nakita naman po na bumababa ang presyo, niri-remind po ng CAB ang mga airlines na i-reduce din po nila ang fuel surcharge effectively cutting down airfares. So, iyon po ang ginagawa ng DOTr para po mas gumanda pa po ang turismo sa ating bansa pagdating po sa issue ng airfare,” Castro said.

Lopez earlier told a House budget hearing that Philippine Airlines is set to implement a maximum one-way fare of P11,000 to and from Siargao, down from more than P17,000.

The acting transportation chief said the P11,000 cap is already a significant step, noting that PAL’s average one-way fare typically ranges from P7,500 to P8,000.