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The Philippine Ports Authority is cutting to just P1 the roll-on/roll-off terminal fee for vehicles handling agricultural shipments
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The move is part of government measures to help industries mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict
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The reduction of the RRTF–ranging from P65 to P516–to just P1 will cover Type 3 and 4 vehicles handling raw and unprocessed agricultural products as well as fisheries, livestock, and poultry
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The P200 reduction of passenger service charge as well as the discount on navigation fees will take effect on April 1 and will be implemented for three months, subject to review
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is set to cut to just P1 the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal fee (RRTF) for vehicles handling agricultural shipments as part of government measures to help industries mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict.
In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will reduce passenger service charge (PSC) and navigation fees at airports it operates effective April, Transport acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said in a press briefing on March 24.
Lopez said the reduction of the RRTF–ranging from P65 to P516–to just P1 covering Type 3 and 4 vehicles was agreed on during a meeting with PPA, other maritime authorities, and domestic shipping lines on March 23. Type 3 includes light delivery trucks, vans, and pick-up trucks, while Type 4 includes heavy delivery trucks.
Following the agreement, PPA issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 003-2026, implementing the reduction, which “aims to keep the movement of farm goods fast and affordable across the country, while helping maintain a stable food supply.”
PPA in a separate statement said the cut is expected to translate into fuel savings for transport operators, with estimates showing that for every 100 liters of fuel, the lower RRTF effectively brings down fuel costs by around P5 per liter.
The discount will apply to raw and unprocessed agricultural products, as well as fisheries, livestock, and poultry, Lopez added.
AO No. 003-2026 will take effect for six months, and may be extended or adjusted depending on fuel prices and its impact on operations.
PPA port management offices, together with terminal and cargo handling operators, are tasked to ensure proper implementation. Cargo declarations and vehicle documents will be checked, and inspections may be conducted to confirm eligibility.
PPA warned that false declarations will be penalized with double the regular RRTF, along with possible administrative, civil, or criminal charges.
With fuel prices continuing to affect daily expenses, PPA said it will keep rolling out practical measures like this to help lower transport costs and support Filipino consumers.
PPA last year also reduced/waived its RRTF for all vehicles delivering rescue equipment and essential relief goods in support of government’s disaster relief and recovery operations following super typhoon Fung-wong (local name Uwan).
Aviation sector
For the air sector, the P200 reduction of PSC as well as the discount on navigation fees will take effect on April 1 and will be implemented for three months, subject to review.
The discount on navigation fees for airlines can reach up to P5,000 per landing/takeoff.
Lopez said the discount aims to stabilize airfares and help airlines, considering that jet fuel now costs US$200 per barrel from $89 prior to the Middle East conflict.
CAAP operates more than 40 commercial airports, excluding the major hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Caticlan.
Aside from this, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) also adopted a 15-day price monitoring and implementation cycle for the imposition of passenger and cargo fuel surcharge for domestic and international flights instead of the one-month cycle under its policy.
This is an interim and temporary measure to “mitigate the impact of the fuel price surge on air travel costs significantly affecting the riding the public and airline operations”, CAB said in its March 16 advisory.
“The shorter cycle of 15-days during this extraordinary period of high volatility in fuel prices shall allow faster response to market changes reducing the lag between actual fuel costs and applicable fuel surcharge,” CAB stated.
It added that this is intended to cushion the impact of fuel price volatility and manage increasing costs.
Earlier, CAB increased fuel surcharges from April 1-15 to Level 8 from the current Level 4.
