The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) announced on Tuesday that 8.77 million passengers have benefited from its Passenger Terminal Fee Exemption (PTFE) program, resulting in P219.26 million in foregone fees since 2019.
As of July 2025, 1.69 million passengers benefited from the program, translating to P34.3 million in foregone revenue shouldered by the PPA.
The exemption mandated under PPA Administrative Order No. 04-2019 eliminated the previous grant of 20 percent discount, fully waiving terminal fees in all PPA-owned terminals , with students, senior citizens, PWDs, and members of the uniformed service among the beneficiaries.
In a statement, PPA general manager Jay Santiago said that the sustained implementation of the PTFE policy underscores the agency’s commitment to inclusive access to maritime transport.
“PPA remains committed to ensuring equitable access to maritime transport. By continuing to exempt these sectors from terminal fees, we recognize their contributions to society and reduce their travel expenses,” Santiago said.
The agency grants free terminal fees to students, senior citizens, PWDs, and uniformed personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in all PPA-owned passenger terminals upon presentation of valid IDs.
Students make up the largest group with 814,253 beneficiaries valued at P17.27 million, followed by 682,371 senior citizens with P12.93 million, 124,519 PWDs with P2.58 million) and 71,234 uniformed personnel, P0.49 million. PMO Batangas recorded the highest number of senior citizen beneficiaries at 94,623, while PMO Mindoro posted the highest exemption value at P2.24 million.
