Travel tax payments, exemption certificates now available online

 

Most Filipinos who depart the Philippines are required to pay travel tax

Filipinos and permanent resident aliens who are required under the law to pay travel tax each time they fly out of the Philippines may now pay online through the one-stop shop eGovPH app.

The integration of the travel tax payment into the eTravel system was formally launched at a recent ceremony led by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

To pay their travel tax anytime, anywhere, outbound travels may go directly to the eGov PH app, and select “TIEZA Travel Tax” under the “National Government Agencies (NGAs)” section.

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Users are directed to a simplified payment page that accepts various methods—including credit cards and e-wallets. Once payment is completed, a digital acknowledgment receipt is automatically sent via email, streamlining verification at the airport and immigration counters.

To make the process even more convenient, the travel tax payment form is pre-filled using the traveler’s passenger information previously submitted on eTravel. Users simply input their current flight details, to get to the payment page.

As part of the eTravel declaration, travelers can indicate whether they have paid the travel tax or applied for an exemption. Upon validation, they receive a QR code for immigration clearance, which helps reduce airport queues and wait times.

In a statement, the Department of Tourism said that the centralized, secure and user-friendly digital platform administered by the government simplifies the payment process for Filipinos and foreign nationals departing the country, as they can skip queuing up at airport counters prior to departure.

Meanwhile, travelers who are by law exempted from paying the travel tax, are also encouraged to apply for the exemption certificate online to eliminate a potentially long wait at the airport. (This does not, however, include overseas Filipino workers who simply have to present their overseas employment certificate (OEC) upon check-in).

All that the travel-exempt passengers have to do is to register their personal details at the Tieza website:  https://onlinettax.tieza.gov.ph/tec,  then wait for the Travel Tax Exemption Certificate (TTEC) that will be sent to them via their registered email address.

As with the eTravel pass, passengers are advised to download the TTEX that is sent via email and keep a copy on their mobile phones or gadgets for easy verification upon check-in. They will no longer be asked for the printed TTEX certificate which usually takes time to secure at the airport.

The TTEC is valid for six months, but is only good for one passage or departure.

Sample of a TTEC recently obtained online

The eTravel System is a digital platform that consolidates immigration, health, customs, and now travel tax declarations for passengers arriving in or departing from the Philippines. 

Once a passenger creates an account and provides the required personal details such as name, address, contact telephone number and a copy of their valid Philippine ID as well as passport, these will all be integrated and come out as pre-filled when registering for eTravel or paying for travel tax.

As part of the eTravel declaration, travelers may submit a copy of their paid travel tax receipt or TTEC to skip further verification at the check-in or immigration counters. Upon validation, they receive a QR code for immigration clearance, which helps reduce airport queues and wait times.

The travel tax, which ranges from Php1,620 for economy class travelers to Php2,700 for those traveling first class, is imposed on Filipinos, resident aliens and foreigners who have stayed in the Philippines for more than a year.

Reduced tax is extended to certain travellers, including dependents of overseas Filipino workers, who pay Php300 if traveling on economy tickets, and Php400 for those in first class.

Exempted from paying the tax are OFWs, Filipino who reside abroad, foreign diplomatic representatives, United Nations employees, US military personnel, crews of international carriers, Philippine government employees on official travel, and students on scholarships.

Half of the proceeds from the travel tax goes to TIEZA, 40% to the Commission on Higher Education, and 10% to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The travel tax is different from the terminal fee, which is used to fund airport improvements and security, and is collected by the Manila Airport Authority from the airlines.

 

3 HK-bound Filipinas with fake OECs arrested for fraud

 

 

Three Filipinas who were supposed to leave Manila for Hong Kong as tourists were, however, stopped from leaving Ninoy Aquino International Airport T3 on Aug 20 after they presented fake overseas employment certificates (OEC).

A press statement issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identified the three as Rhea Angelia M Borda, Nora P. Tafalla and Baby Rhea U. Margarico.

The Immigration officer who cleared them for departure, identified as Mohammad Rashid Madale Alonto is now at large, after the three arrested passengers acknowledged his role in the attempt to let them fly out despite their fake documents and his official stamp was found on their boarding passes.

Borda and Tafalla were already at the boarding gates at T3 when they were intercepted by border control officers while Margarico was apprehended during routine checks at the terminal.

During investigation, the three admitted that they had been recruited through social media to work in Cambodia as Customer Service Representatives (CSRs).

Following an inquest, they were charged with violation of Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code, which pertains to the use of falsified public document

.

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Alonto, on the other hand, was charged in absentia with violations of Section 4(b)(1)(i) of Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and Section 5(e) of Republic Act No. 9208 (The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003).

NBI Director Jaime Santiago commended the agents and other officers for their quick action which led to the arrest and filing of charges against the four suspects.

 

Brewing storm in Phl could affect HK starting Thursday

 

PAGASA graphic tracks the path of Kajiki and the new LPA

Just days after Tropical Storm Kajiki dumped heavy rains in both the Philippines and Hong Kong, a new low pressure area has been spotted southeast of Mindanao.

The LPA entered the Philippine area of responsibility early on Saturday and has been bringing rains over parts of Central and Eastern Visayas, and most of Mindanao.

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But weather forecaster PAGASA says even if the LPA forms into a tropical cyclone, it would likely be short-lived.

Kajiki meanwhile, caused the highest storm signal to be raised over South China’s island province of Hainan. The typhoon strengthened as it moved toward the island’s coast, where it made landfall late on Sunday.

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In Hong Kong, the Observatory said the new developing LPA could move into the South China Sea around the middle of the week.

Under its influence, heavy showers, thunderstorms and strong winds could affect the Guangdong coast.

The Observatory said the potential storm could pass south of Hong Kong around Thursday or Friday, and move toward Hainan Island.

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Its projected path indicates it may come closer to the territory than Kajiki, which caused T1 to be raised over Hong Kong early on Sunday.

As a result, the Observatory has upgraded its wind strength forecast to force 4 to 5 from the east to northeast on Thursday, strengthening to force 6 at times offshore and on high grounds later in the day.

The unsettled weather is expected to continue until Friday, when winds could occasionally reach force 6, meaning “strong wind” on the Beaufort scale.

 

DMW pushes for higher salary, yearly check-ups for Filipino domestic workers

 

More than 90% of all Filipinos in HK are domestic workers

The Department of Migrant Workers issued an advisory Friday providing for enhanced protection and better opportunities for Filipino domestic workers abroad, which includes raising their monthly minimum wage to USD500 and providing them with annual medical check-ups.

DMW said the domestic workers reform package is anchored to international labor standards on fair and ethical recruitment.

“There are eight components for these domestic workers reforms, which reinforce our commitment to decent work, ethical recruitment, and strengthened welfare mechanisms for Filipino domestic workers deployed abroad,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans J. Cacdac said

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At the top of the list is the increase in the minimum monthly wage of domestic workers from USD400 to USD500, “in recognition of domestic work as work of equal value deserving of fair compensation." This does not apply to a few host places like Hong Kong, where the minimum wage already equates to about USD643, or roughly Php36,000.

The provision for free annual medical check-up also comes with free hospitalization and treatment, which initially will be implemented on a voluntary basis. The advisory does not, however, spell out how this could be implemented.

The third is the “Know Your Employer” protocol which mandates video conferencing between the domestic worker and employer before their contract is finalized. This aims to ensure transparency and informed consent in the hiring process.

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Fourth is the  “Kumusta Kabayan?” digital welfare monitoring system for direct welfare check on the conditions of OFWs;

Fifth assures the continuous enhancement of workers employability and opportunities through reskilling, upskilling and career mobility program

Sixth mandates stricter standards for recruitment agencies’ accommodation facilities. This follows well-documented stories on the dire conditions in many agency shelters where domestic workers are made to stay prior to deployment, or when they are sacked after taking up work abroad.

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The seventh will institutionalize the whitelisting of recruitment agencies that do not comply with the ethical process in deploying workers

The final change will assure continuous rights protection for domestic workers by providing them with legal and other forms of assistance under the DMW Aksyon Fund.

Secretary Cacdac directed that all employment contracts processed by the DMW should reflect the new wage requirement, while Migrant Workers Offices abroad are encouraged to engage host governments and foreign recruitment agencies on implementing the new wage floor.

He also said that after the DMW advisory was signed today, there will be a 60-day transition period before the first four reforms are fully implemented.

“The advisory shall apply to all recruitment agencies and employers here or abroad with newly hired domestic workers under employment contracts entered into, or with vacationing or returning domestic workers under contracts renewed,” Cacdac said.

DMW said the enhanced protection for Filipino domestic workers abroad was issued after thorough consultation with stakeholders.

The signing coincided with the second death anniversary of former Secretary Susan “Toots” V. Ople who was a staunch advocate of the protection and welfare of Filipino domestic workers.

 

DMW reminds agencies and employers not to take OFW passports

 

Philippine passports are the property of the government, says the advisory

A directive issued by the Department of Migrant Workers recently reiterated the government’s long-standing policy against overseas Filipino works (OFWs) being deprived of their passports.

The advisory, reposted by the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong on August 14, reminded recruitment agencies, principals or foreign employers, and any third party that they must not withhold or confiscate an OFW’s passport “for deployment, employment, accommodation of as collateral for loans.”

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There are only two exceptions to this rule: (1) when the passport is withheld for visa stamping and required documentation by embassies or consulates; or (2) for immigration-related processing, when official procedures mandate temporary surrender.

OFWs are reminded they must always be in possession of their passports 

OFWs in turn are advised to retain custody of their passports at all times, except under the situations described above. When a passport is temporarily withheld from them, the OFWs must ensure it is returned to them immediately upon completion of the transaction.

Any agency or employer found to withhold OFWs passport as a policy or practice may be subjected to disciplinary action, including disqualification, suspension or cancellation of accreditation, said the DMW.

The Labor advisory is pursuant to the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, which states that the passport  is  “the property of the Philippine government and should remain in the possession of its holder at all times, including OFWs, particularly prior to departure and during the deployment period.”

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In Hong Kong, many OFWs use their passports as security or collateral for loans they contract with private individuals or groups that charge usurious rates.

Once the OFW is found to have voluntarily surrendered her passport to a loan shark, the Consulate will issue a replacement document only after the worker undertakes not to hock it again.

 

China-bound DHs among 38 Pinoys rescued from boat off Zamboanga

 

The rescued Filipinos were found inside this cramped boat headed out to sea

Four Filipinos recruited to work illegally in China as domestic helpers were among 38 Filipinos rescued by anti-human trafficking operatives aboard a wooden-hulled cargo vessel off Zamboanga City on August 8.

According to a Department of Migrant Workers’ Facebook post, eight of those rescued were all females, and were in possession of valid Philippine passports with tourist visas to China.\

Four of them said they were recruited to work as domestic helpers in China, with a promise that they would be paid 10,000 RMB (Php79,000) each monthly. They all had been previously offloaded or barred from leaving by Philippine immigration authorities.

The four others said they were bound for Malaysia, and were meant to travel using undocumented sea routes.

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The other passengers on the cramped boat who were identified as victims of suspected human trafficking and illegal recruitment were 14 males (12 adults and 2 minors) and 16 females (22 adults and 2 minors).

The DMW statement did not disclose where the other passengers were headed.

The wooden boat at the wharf where 3 facilitators of the human trafficking were arrested

Three individuals arrested on the wharf were identified by the victims as the facilitators of the illegal recruitment and transport. They remain in custody while appropriate charges are being readied against them.

Further investigation is being carried out to identify and arrest other possible co-conspirators.

At least four of the rescued individuals have reportedly expressed willingness to testify against the recruiters and facilitators with support from the Women and Children Protection Center.

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Following the rescue, all victims were transported to the PDCP Facility in Barangay Mampang, Zamboanga City, where they were given temporary shelter, food and medical attention with psychological intervention through the efforts of the Department of Social Welfare in the region.

The victims were also given orientation on safe migration practices and on the government assistance programs they can avail of moving forward.

The boat they were on was identified as ML  J-Sayang. It was boarded by law enforcers at Taha Wharf in Baliwasan, Zamboanga City and was said to be bound for Taganak Island, from where the victims were to be moved through unauthorized channels for overseas employment.

The rescue operation was carried out through the combined efforts of the Zamboanga Sea-based Anti-Trafficking Task Force, of which the Department of Migrant Workers Regional Office IX is a member.

Several other government agencies including the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Philippine Coast Guard had a hand in the operation.

Philippines takes part in HK Food Expo

 

Four companies, along with a university and a government agency based in the Philippines are taking part in the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Food Expo PRO, to be held from tomorrow, Aug 14 to 16, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).\

Each will be provided a booth at the Philippine Pavilion, located at 5E‑B20 & B22 in Hall 5E of the HKCEC, where they will showcase a variety of Philippine products, including coffee, tropical fruits, craft beer, and calamansi‑based processed foods.

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Their participation is made possible by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center representative at the Philippine Consulate, Vice Consul Robert Mabalot.

The participating Philippine companies and groups are: Engkanto Beer, a craft beer brand known for its award-winning beers; Empereur Farms PC, a small-scale Arabica coffee farm based in Tuba, Benguet; Raspina Tropical Fruits Inc, a company engaged in the export of fresh tropical fruits grown in Mindanao; McNester Food Products, a company based in Guimaras, Iloilo which produces mango and calamansi-based processed foods; Mountain Province State University and the Department of Trade and Industry in Baguio, Benguet.

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If you are based in Hong Kong and wish to visit the Philippine Pavilion in person, please register for your badge here: https://shorturl.at/CS784.

 

PBBM bares list of top contractors for P545 billion flood control projects

 

Marcos vows to go after anyone who misused govt funds for flood control

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr held a rare press conference Monday to announce the top 15 construction firms awarded flood control contracts worth a total of P545 billion during his first three years in office, and hinted at repercussions for those found to have performed shoddy work or committed anomalies.

He pointed out that the 15 construction firms collectively received 20% of the entire budget for 10,000 projects from 2022 to 2025, or Php109 billion. That meant each company received roughly P7.27 billion each

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The remaining Php436 billion was distributed among 2,391 othe winning contractors, for an average of Php182 million for each company.

The 15 top constructions firms based on the amount of contracts they bagged from the government were:

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1.     Legacy Construction Corporation

2.     Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp

3.     St Timothy Construction Corporation

4.     QM Builders

5.     EGB Construction Corporation

6.     Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc

7.     Centerways Construction and Development Inc

8.     Sunwest, Inc

9.     Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corp

10.  Triple B Construction & Supply Inc

11.  Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp

12.  Wawao Builders

13.  MG Samidan Construction

14.  L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc

15.  Road Edge Trading & Development Services

Marcos however, begged off from disclosing the names of people behind the firms and their possible connections to people in government, for now.

“We are going to keep going. This is something that is, I think, absolutely necessary. We have to clean our ranks. It might be a little painful. Some people close to us might get dragged into this. But if they are close to me, the people are closer to my heart and we will prioritize them,” Marcos said during his press conference.

However, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto was quick to point out that the two firms that occupy the no 2 and no 3 slots in the list were owned by the family of Sarah Discaya, who failed to unseat him in last May’s general elections.

Both were named among five construction firms that were awarded projects all over the country.

Sotto boldly enumerated what he called “the six stages of corruption”, insinuating that the two companies had engaged in irregularities to win the multi-billion government projects.

He claimed Sarah and her husband Curlee also owned or controlled six other construction companies based in Pasig, including St Gerrard General Contractor and Development Corp. which was suspended by the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2020 due to project delays.

Meanwhile, multi-media platform Rappler said the no 8 in the list, Sunwest, Inc. is a conglomerate based in Albay which was co-founded by Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co.

The report said the company had been lucrative from the time former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was in power, and between 2016 and 2024 along, won government projects worth a total of more than Php38 billion.

President Marcos’ list is part of the initial findings of an ongoing probe into flood control projects which followed his Statement of the Nation address, in which he vowed to go after substandard works that led to extensive flooding throughout the country last month.

 

US Visa consultancy shuttered for illegal recruitment of Pinoy teachers

 

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac leads closure of the Ortigas branch of Visa to America

The Department of Migrant Workers says it has closed down eight offices of Visa to America Manila Inc after they were found to have engaged in illegal recruitment by offering employment in the United States to Filipino teachers without a license.

Simultaneously shut down were Visa to America offices in Pasig City, Cebu City, Lucena City, Iloilo City, Santiago City, Quezon City, Davao City and Zamboanga City.

DMW said a report from a victim indicated the company offered “visa services” for a fee of US$5,400 (or about Php300,000) for a J-1 visa package and US$8,500 (or Php500,000) for an H-1B visa package.

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But what the company was actually collecting were placement fees for placing teachers for jobs in the US which was not allowed for a visa consultancy firm, said DMW.

Further investigation by the DMW reportedly revealed that Visa to America officers would order their employees to call applicants and pretend to be representatives from American schools conducting interviews, so as to mislead the victims into thinking they were in direct contact with employers.

DMW also said applicants were promised employment through a US-based company with the same name, Visa to America. However, the promises did not specify timelines for deployment abroad, and were often vague and unfulfilled. 

Among the 8 Visa to American offices shut down was this one in Zamboanga

At a press conference that followed the closure, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac emphasized that there was illegal recruitment because the company offered jobs despite not having the required licence from the Department. 

On top of this, the visa consultancy company also charged applicants exorbitant fees.

"Wala ka nang lisensya, nananaga ka pa?," said Secretary Cacdac. (You had the temerity to collect excessive fees when you didn't even have a license).

He said the company had been operating since 2022, and had apparently deployed about 50 applicants who were promised a monthly salary equivalent to Php120,000 - but none of this mattered because it was operating without a license.

The closure came with the order that all Visa to America branches should completely cease operations due to their involvement in illegal recruitment activities.

The company’s officers will be charged with illegal recruitment and added to the DMW’s List of Persons with Derogatory Record, which bars them from engaging in any overseas placement activity.

The DMW is calling on all victims of Visa to America to reach out through their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip to receive free legal assistance and help in filing appropriate complaints against the visa consultancy.

This is the 27^th closure operation conducted by the DMW this year as part of its intensified crackdown on illegal recruiters of aspiring overseas Filipino workers.