Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has filed Senate Bill No. 1849 seeking to abolish the travel tax imposed on Filipinos leaving the country and on nationals of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states traveling to other ASEAN destinations.

The proposal cites the constitutional right to travel and the Philippines’ commitments under regional agreements as basis for removing the tax.

In his explanatory note, Go referenced Article III, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution, which states that the right to travel may only be impaired in the interest of national security, public safety or public health.

The travel tax was established under Presidential Decree No. 1183 and later incorporated and amended under Republic Act No. 9593, or the Tourism Act of 2009.

The measure also cited the ASEAN Tourism Agreement of 2002, which encourages the progressive removal of travel-related barriers among member states.

Under SBN 1849, the travel tax “shall no longer be imposed” on Filipinos leaving the Philippines and on ASEAN nationals departing the country to travel to other ASEAN member states.

The bill provides that no government agency or private entity shall collect travel tax upon the law’s effectivity. It also includes a refund mechanism for travel tax already paid for flights scheduled immediately after the law takes effect.

To address agencies that currently receive travel tax allocations, the bill states that funding for the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) tourism-related higher education development fund, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts shall be provided through the annual General Appropriations Act.