Manila: FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to look into ways to reduce or remove terminal fees for Filipino travelers. 'Every peso counts for our kababayans (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 direct relief to the Filipino people,' Poe said in a statement.

According to Philippines News Agency, Poe was referring 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, while only 18 percent remains with the concessionaire to fund operations. Poe highlighted that terminal fees have risen steeply in recent years. Domestic terminal charges are now at PHP390, while international terminal fees jumped from PHP550 to PHP950.

In the case of seaports, the Batangas Port almost implemented a 233 percent fee increase, which was only stopped after public outcry. Poe pointed out that this arrangement opens the door for Congress to legislate measures to reallocate part of those revenues as subsidies for passengers. '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,' he said.

Poe emphasized that transportation is a basic necessity and noted that people already bear costs for various essentials such as food, fuel, and utilities. He suggested that removing or subsidizing terminal fees, even for domestic travel, would provide significant assistance. 'The goal of modernization should be to make travel more convenient and accessible, not more costly,' Poe added.