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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
April 22, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration has lowered port and toll fees as part of its efforts to mitigate the impact of oil price shocks caused by the Middle East conflict, Malacañang announced yesterday.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto called on national agencies and local governments to help truckers of farm produce take advantage of the toll and port fees holiday, which seeks to ease food and transport costs.
The Maritime Industry Authority has reduced by up to 75 percent the regulatory fees it charges for vessel registration and accreditation, safety certificates and covering permits, among other charges.
The annual tonnage fee has also been lowered to just P1 per gross tonnage for Philippine-registered vessels above 15 gross tonnage for 2025 payable in 2026, while vessels 15 gross tonnage and below are fully exempt.
The agency also suspended the implementation of its January-issued schedule of fees and charges starting April 20.
The reduced fees will remain in force for a year or for the duration of the state of national energy emergency unless earlier lifted or revised.
“Food transportation involves inter-island trips so all stakeholders involved in the supply chain, including ships, should be assisted,” Recto said in a statement.
The Philippine Ports Authority also lowered the roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal fees for vehicles transporting agricultural goods to just P1 beginning April 10, from the previous range of P258 to P516 depending on the vehicle type.
The lower rate will be in effect for six months and may be extended depending on fuel prices and operational impact.
Tollway operators have likewise waived toll fees for cargo trucks accredited by the agriculture department, a move seen to generate over P100 million in savings for haulers.
Consumers may begin to feel the impact of the free toll for agri-vehicles on the prices of goods within the week, Department of Agriculture (DA) spokesman Arnel de Mesa said yesterday.
“It should be immediate because we transport goods everyday. Within the week, we should see the changes on the prices of goods,” De Mesa said.
He said vehicles traveling from North Luzon to Metro Manila may save from P1,300 up to P3,000, while trips from Batangas to the National Capital Region may save up to P6,000.
With the savings on transport, De Mesa said prices of goods are expected to stabilize and may even decline.
“This will help in reducing the expenses of food transfer because right now this is the cause of rise of prices on agricultural commodities,” he said.
“We are hoping for the best because right now we have good news but what’s happening right now is like a rollercoaster,” he added.
Food Lane
Alongside the rollout of toll waivers for trucks carrying farm goods, the DA is looking to expand the number of registered vehicles under its Food Lane program to maximize its impact on logistics costs.
Agriculture Undersecretary Arrey Perez said the DA is targeting more than 4,000 previously accredited trucks as it scales up implementation.
“We need to increase it, because if there is no scale the program will have no impact. Our target is to capture a lot of the agri-trucks,” Perez said.
The program currently has 1,162 accredited trucks, capable of transporting about seven million kilos of farm products daily to major markets.
“We are calling on all those in the transport industry of agriculture to be accredited through our portal. We have simplified the process, it’s just a few requirements,” he said.
Applications can now be approved within the day, while toll exemption activation may be completed within 24 hours under revised guidelines.
The system integrates digital registration, QR-coded accreditation and RFID enrollment to enable seamless verification across major tollways, reducing delays at checkpoints and toll plazas.
Perez said vehicles carrying vegetables, fruits, wheat, seeds, fish, livestock and poultry, as well as farming machinery, may register in the program.
Priority rollout areas include key agricultural regions in Luzon such as Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the Cordillera. — Josiah Antonio, Adrian Kenneth Halili, Bella Cariaso
