The City of Manila has come out with an ordinance charging tourists entering via local ports an environmental user fee (EUF) of P50.
Ordinance No. 9137 signed by Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on 28 October provides for the collection of the EUF to raise funds for financing conservation, protection and management of coastal and aquatic resources, seascape and tourism projects of Manila.
Covered by the ordinance are passengers, tourists, travelers and guests entering the city’s ports, harbors and anchorages by means of motorized boats, ferries, ships, yachts and other aquatic vehicles.
Exempted from paying the fee are residents of Manila; Filipino senior citizens; Filipino children 12 years old and below; persons with disability; fishermen; members of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police; persons aboard government maritime vehicles; and users of the Pasig River Ferry System.
Among the uses of the EUF are research, training, sanitation treatment or use of technology that will ensure the protection, conservation and sustainable use of the natural environment.
Also, the collected EUF will be for funding the rehabilitation of city waters, development or protection of natural tourist attraction, and conservation and protection of marine and upland biodiversity, lakes and bodies of water and other terrestrial ecosystems.