PAL to set P22,000 maximum roundtrip fare for Siargao, says DOTr

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will implement a maximum one-way fare of P11,000 to or from Siargao, Department of Transportation (DOTR) Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Thursday.

Lopez made the response when asked by Surigao del Norte Representative Francisco “Lalo” Matugas if the government is taking measures to address the exorbitant rates of flights to and from his province's popular tourist destination.

“Meron na pong kasunduan with PAL, and hopefully we can implement it in the next few days. From P17,500 [one way], I think, bababa na po sa P11,000 [one way]. Bigyan niyo lang po ako ng kaunti pang panahon, baka makahingi pa po tayo ng diskwento,” Lopez said during the DOTr’s presentation of its proposed P197-billion budget for 2026 before the House appropriations panel.

(We struck a deal with PAL. From P17,500 one way, it will go down to P11,000. Give me more time and maybe we can get more of a discount.)

Lopez said that the P11,000 is already a significant step, given that the average one-way fare for PAL ranges from P7,500 to P8,000.

“The P11,000 would be the highest that they can impose as a fare [to Siargao or from Siargao], one way. Iyon lang po iyong napagkasunduan namin sana makapagbigay pa sila ng diskwento po. Bibigyan ko po kayo ng update by next week,” Lopez added.

Matugas, however, said the P11,000 fare, which would mean P22,000 for a roundtrip ticket, remains too high.

“Mataas pa ring iyong P22,000. Hindi kasi maintindihan ng mga constituents ko why it is so high. Is there a specific law to regulate this imposition of fare by the airlines?” he said.

(That P22,000 is still very expensive. My constituents cannot understand why this is so high.)

Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) responded that the best way to reduce fares to Siargao is to expand the airport, so that bigger planes can schedule flights there, adding that flights in smaller planes cost more.

“It is really because of the airport size. Planes flying to and from Siargao are really small, and can only fit around 72 people. If you compare with the capacity of an Airbus plane which can fit 426 people, the operation cost of the airline will be distributed to a lot more people. In that case, the fares won't be expensive,” he said.

“But if you have small planes, there are a lot of fixed operational cost [that would contribute to the cost of the fare] such as landing, takeoff, crew. That is why the goal of the new Secretary is to extend Siargao airport’s runway,” Arcilla added.

Lopez said the DOTr is already working on securing funds for the extension of the Siargao airport’s runway.

“We already have a plan for that [expansion]. That is one way to lower the fare. We are doing inspections on the site, checking where we can extend, because there are also areas with mangroves there,” he said.

“Definitely, if the 2026 budget won’t be able to fund this, we already touched base with CAAP to set aside funding for this out of their corporate operating budget so we can immediately address this issue alongside our continuing upgrade of the Siargao airport,” he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News