MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
[ MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 29, August 06, 2024 ]
GRANTING TRAVEL TAX EXEMPTION TO ALL TRAVELERS DEPARTING FROM ALL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS AND SEAPORTS IN MINDANAO AND PALAWAN TO ANY DESTINATION IN THE EAST ASEAN GROWTH AREA
WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 1183, as amended, authorizes the President to exempt certain individuals from payment of travel tax for reasons of national interest;
WHEREAS, in 1994, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth (BIMP-EAGA) was established as a cooperation initiative to spur development in remote and less developed areas in said Southeast Asian countries;
WHEREAS, through various Memorandum Orders (MOs), travelers departing from all international airports and seaports in Mindanao and Palawan and who are bound for any destination in the BIMP-EAGA were previously granted Travel Tax Exemption in order to sustain and accelerate economic development in Mindanao and Palawan, and encourage more investors to look at Philippine EAGA routes as potent connectivity and investment jump-off points;
WHEREAS, the grant of Travel Tax Exemption to travelers departing from all international airports and seaports in Mindanao and Palawan who are bound for any destination in the BIMP-EAGA is consistent with the strategies identified under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, particularly relative to the promotion of tourism and reduction of barriers to trade and investment;
WHEREAS, Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus and offices, and the mandates to ensure the faithful execution of laws;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:
For reasons of national interest, in order to further sustain and accelerate economic development in Mindanao and Palawan, and as recommended by the House of Representatives pursuant to House Resolution No. 61 dated 21 March 2023, all travelers by air/or sea departing from all international airports and/or seaports in Mindanao and Palawan, and who are bound for any destination in the BIMP-EAGA are hereby exempt from payment of Travel Tax.
The Travel Tax Exemption shall also apply to passengers with confirmed connecting flights from Mindanao and Palawan to BIMP-EAGA within 24 hours on the same day, and there are no direct flights available from the passenger's point of origin in Mindanao and Palawan to any of the passenger's point of destination in BIMP-EAGA.ℒαwρhi৷
Unless sooner revoked, the Travel Tax Exemption shall be granted upon effectivity of this Order and until 30 June 2028.
A Travel Tax Exemption Certificate may be secured from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
This Memorandum Order shall take effect immediately upon publication in the Official gazette or newspaper of general circulation.
DONE, in the City of Manila, this 06 day of August, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.
(Sgd.) FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.
By the President:
(Sgd.) LUCAS P. BERSAMIN
Executive Secretary
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