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Malacañang on Tuesday allayed concerns regarding the proposed P240 fee for travelers entering and leaving the country, saying it is still under study and has not yet been approved.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro made the clarification in response to public reactions on the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) proposal to collect a $4 user fee or around P247 for a one-way flight, as part of the Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) project.
“Sa ngayon po ito ay proposal pa lamang po according to Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado. So, wala pa po itong anumang desisyon, wala pa pong nararating ito. Ito ay mere proposal,” Castro said.
(For now, this is just a proposal according to Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado. So, there is no decision yet, nothing has been reached yet. It is just a proposal.)
“Huwag po munang mag-alala ang ating mga kababayan dahil mas nauna po talaga silang mag-react. Wala pa po ito,” she added.
(The public should not worry because they are the first to react. There’s nothing approved yet.)
The proposed fee would reportedly help fund the modernization and upgrading of the immigration system to strengthen border security and improve services for travelers.
Viado earlier also stressed that the CAISS Project remains a proposal, and has not yet been signed or finalized.
The BI also said it would continue assessing the project, in coordination with concerned government agencies and other stakeholders.
Castro also said that since the project is still a proposal, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has not yet taken a stance on the matter.
She also said there is still a possibility that the proposal will be deferred, taking into consideration concerns about imposing an additional fee on travelers despite the BI’s existing budget allocations.
“Kaya nga po proposal pa lang. So, puwedeng barilin, puwedeng hindi ipatupad, puwedeng hindi matuloy. So, kaya huwag muna tayong maalarma dahil wala pa po talaga ito; it’s just a proposal,” she said.
(That’s why it’s just a proposal. So, it could be shot down, it could not be implemented, it could possibly not continue. So, let’s not be alarmed because there is really nothing yet, it’s just a proposal.) —RF, GMA News