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This article describes the various forms of transportation in the Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,000 islands.
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During this period, there were 50,000 automobiles in the region. The carabao was used as a primary transportation source. The country's first public mass-vehicular transportation service was De Dios Transit Bus Corp., providing public mass transportation in major roads of Manila after the Second World War.
There were 1,400 km of narrow-gauge track, owned by either the Manila Railroad Company (based in Luzon) or the Philippine Railway Company (an American company based in Panay and Cebu). 1,130 km of these tracks were on Luzon, with about 50% of this amount located in the central plain. In addition, there were some 400 km of privately owned track in the central plain of Luzon. All of this, with the exception of a stretch above Manila, was single-track.
There were 22,960 km of highway in the Philippine archipelago. More than half of these roads were in central and southern Luzon and three major highways of this island were, and probably still are, Routes 1, 3, and 5. These routes were two-lane roads with concrete or asphalt surfacing. Each of these 3 roads enters the capital, Manila, and their access roads linked the various parts of the island.
The Philippines has 199,950 kilometers (124,240 mi) of roads, of which 39,590 kilometers (24,600 mi) are paved. As of 2004, the total length of the non-toll road network was reported to be 202,860 km, with the following breakdown according to type:
Road classification is based primarily on administrative responsibilities (with the exception of barangays), i.e., which level of government built and funded the roads. Most of the barangay roads are unpaved village-access roads built in the past by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), but responsibility for maintaining these roads have now been devolved to the Local Government Units (LGUs). Farm-to-market roads fall under this category, and a few are financed by the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture. However, despite having a large road network built over the country, large parts of the road network continue to be in poor condition and only 20 percent of the total road network is paved.[1]
The Strong Republic Nautical Highway links many of the islands' road networks through a series of roll-on/roll-off ferries, some rather small covering short distances and some larger vessels that might travel several hours or more.
Mass transit in the Philippines range from bangkas (small pump boats made out of aluminum or wood) to the large and sturdy trains that operate on Luzon. The most ubiquitous form of transport is the jeepney, affluently named the King of the Road. Other include buses, tricycles or motorcycles with sidecars, motorcycles, and trisikads. Buses and jeepneys are lumped together and called "public utility vehicles" or PUVs, or separated referred to as PUB for "public utility bus" and PUJ for "public utility jeepney".
Buses operate throughout the country, and they come in all forms and sizes, from small, rusty boxes to large, luxury coaches that run through the highways and roads of the Philippines. Routes run everywhere in the country, with some companies operating through islands other than just Luzon.
The jeepney (commonly referred to as a jeep) is the equivalent of a mini-bus found everywhere in the country. It carries between 16 to 30 passengers, comes both in air conditioned and ordinary (non-air conditioned) forms, and these usually operate where buses operate less frequently (e.g. side streets in Metro Manila, provincial highways). The jeepney evolved from the surplus of World War II jeeps that the Americans left behind after the war.
There are many railroads around the country but only a few in or serving Metro Manila are operating.
Petroleum products: 357 km
Total: 480 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,973,024 GRT/9,025,087 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Ships by type Bulk 159, cargo 122, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 9, container 7, liquified gas 13, livestock carrier 9, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off 19, short-sea passenger 32, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 20 (1999 est.) A flag of convenience registry: Japan owns 19 ships, Hong Kong 5, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Netherlands 1, Singapore 1, and UK 1 (1998 est.)
3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels.
The main gateway to the Philippines through the sea is through the Manila International Cargo Terminal and the Eva Macapagal Port Terminal, both in the pier area of Manila. Other cities with bustling ports and piers include Bacolod, Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Butuan, Iligan, Iloilo, Jolo, Legazpi, Lucena, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Allen, Ormoc, Ozamiz and Tagbilaran. Most of these terminals comprise the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, a nautical system conceptualized under the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo where land vehicles can use the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ship service to traverse the different islands of the country at minimal costs.
The Pasig River Ferry Service - Used to serve the "Pasig River" from Plaza Mexico, Intramuros, Manila to Barangay Kalawaan Sur, Pasig City. There are also river ferries on the island of Samar.
| Runway length | Paved | Unpaved |
|---|---|---|
| > 3047 m | 4 | 0 |
| 2438–3047 m | 5 | 0 |
| 1524–2437 m | 26 | 3 |
| 914–1523 m | 31 | 66 |
| < 914 m | 10 | 121 |
| Total | 76 | 190 |
| Paved + Unpaved | = 266 |
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