Actress Sharlene San Pedro drew attention online after criticizing a proposed P240 border security fee for international travelers during a recent livestream.
Questioning the additional charge, San Pedro pointed out that departing passengers already pay travel taxes before leaving the country.
“Ano to’ bakit nagcha-charge ng immigration 480 pesos per passenger e diba nagbabayad naman na ng travel tax pag aalis,” she said.
The actress went on to express frustration over what she described as the growing number of government-imposed charges on Filipinos.
“Ang dami niyong pinapabayaran samin! Hindi naman maayos-ayos ang gobyerno, leche!” San Pedro said.
The proposed fee stems from a Bureau of Immigration plan to collect an additional charge from international travelers to help fund a modernized border security system. According to the agency, the funds would support investments in biometric technology, automated gates and risk-assessment tools designed to strengthen border management.
If implemented, the fee would be charged on top of the existing travel tax of P1,620 imposed on most outbound passengers.
The proposal has sparked discussion online, with critics arguing that the added expense would further increase the cost of international travel for ordinary Filipinos, overseas Filipino workers, students and families traveling abroad.
Immigration officials, meanwhile, maintain that the additional revenue would help improve security and streamline passenger processing at the country's ports of entry and exit.
