PRE-COLONIAL

Boats: The indigenous population used small boats called banwas for
fishing and traveling between islands. They also used paraws for trade
and commerce.
Rafts: The taklong was a bamboo raft used to transport goods across
rivers.
Human and animal power: The karit was a horse-drawn cart, and the
sakayan was a horse-drawn carriage. People also traveled on foot
between villages and towns using the kalanduyan
(https://secret-ph.com/the-evolution-of-transportation-in-the-
philippines-a-history/#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20used
%20mode,the%20archipelago%20underwent%20significant
%20changes.)

HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE PHILIPPINES Here we trace a brief

history of Philippine transportation especially with the country's entry into
world commerce in the 19th and 20th century, and offer some insights
about the patterns of growth of our transport system in the broader context
of developing Philippine society and economy.
1. Pre-Spanish period First of all, we consider long-term and very slow-
changing geographic factors that shaped Philippine transportation.
Foremost is that our country is a big archipelago of 7,500 islands, and a
very long total coastline (estimated at the world's fifth longest). Each major
island has a mountainous interior, with narrow or fragmented plains and
valleys along the coasts and in the interior, and crisscrossed by very
numerous rivers. These geographic factors greatly influenced the early
patterns of population growth, density, distribution and movement, which
continued through the next centuries. Prior to the introduction of horses and
wheeled vehicles by Spanish colonizers, our ancestors moved by raft or
native outrigger boat powered by paddles and sails, hopping from island to
island or coastal point to point. They reached interior valleys by trekking
along estuaries and rivers (by water and on foot) and through trails
across mountains. They eventually settled along or near the coasts,
lakes, rivers and major creeks where there was enough access to land,
water, and food sources.
2. Spanish period The establishment of Spanish rule in most islands paved
the way for the colonial and feudal socio-economic system to take root,
and alongside this, expanded modes of transportation that served the
expanding needs of colonial and feudal rule. As early as 1591, Spanish
rule was already entrenched in 236 encomiendasin 10 broadly defined
provinces from Ilocos to Panay. From these first bulwarks, Spanish forces
fanned out to pacify tribes, punish rebellious ones, impose
reduccion(resettlement into pacified towns), collect tribute, requisition
goods, and harness corvee labor. All these required the building of ships,
ports and wharves, and inland roads, bridges across rivers, and horse
trails across mountains. Many Spanish-period trade and travel
routes were merely expanded and interconnected versions of pre-
Spanish routes. All these resulted in some advances in the country's
transport system. Since most trade and transport were across the seas and
along the coasts, the earlier impetus was in maritime, inter- island and
riverine transport by various kinds of watercraft, from big steamers to
native boats with outriggers (paraw) to flat-bottomed cascos
. Even within the Manila area, rivers (e.g. Pasig and Marikina rivers),
esteros(tidewater channels) and man-made canals (e.g. Canal de Maypajo,
Canal de la Reina) served as major arteries of trade linking outlying areas
and the Intramuros and Port of Manila, with the cascos as the workhorse
watercraft.

3. Railways in the last decade of Spanish rule T h e b i g g e r a n d m o r e

dramatic push was in building railways. In 1875, the Spanish
government authorized a Manila committee to propose railways
projects. Three lines were suggested, totaling 1,730 km of track: the
Manila-Dagupan line (which was to be extended later to Laoag); the
Manila-Bicol line, which would reach Albay; and the Manila-Batangas
route that would reach Taal town

4. The US colonial period The US colonial period saw, in its early stages (1899-
1920s), the further nationwide expansion of the railway and shipping system,
and then towards its later stages (1930s-1946), the gradual decline of the
railways. Major Visayan islands also had localized railways in late- Spanish and
American periods, although mainly to transport plantation crops for export.
The indigenous or Spanish-period ship- and boat-building industries also
suffered a decline, as the US colonial regime preferred the use of big foreign-
made ships. These two big trends were closely related to a third: the
tremendous expansion of the road system and US-manufactured motor
vehicles. These three major developments and other changes in the transport
system were part of the US economic policy of expanding and enhancing the
colonial pattern of trade initially established in the last 50 years of Spanish
rule (export crops, imported finished goods), and converting its local feudal
base into a semi-feudal one. Colonially encouraged industries (light industries
and related commercial activities) flourished in and around Manila and a few
other port towns, in addition to mining and logging in outlying provinces.
These further impelled the expansion of the transport system.

5. The early post-war period (1946-1965) The early post-World War II or pre-
Marcos period (1946-1965) saw basically the continuation and intensification
of the semi-feudal socioeconomic system in the whole country, under the
neocolonial setup and the acceleration of “growth trends” (actually the seeds
of crises) that emerged before the war. In this section, we focus more
specifically on the impacts of urbanization as seen in Metro Manila, and the
impacts of the nationwide expansion of roads and motor vehicles.
Urbanization in the Philippines is broadly reflected by the increase in towns
and cities with 100,000 residents or more—from nine in 1900, to 21 by 1970.
More clearly, this is seen in the big jump of residential populations in the
chartered cities, from 3.9 million (14% of total population) in 1960, to 7.4
million (20% of total) in 1970. Take note that this urbanization did not reflect
real industrialization, but the growth of non-industrial activities (mostly
services) outside of agriculture and served the semi-feudal economy and
semi-colonial system. Another significant development during this period was
the rapid depletion of forest resources and shrinkage of frontier lands. The
remaining frontier areas in Northern Luzon, Mindanao and Palawan-Mindoro
were gradually filled up with new towns, which were eventually
interconnected through new roads (many of them old logging roads) and
smaller ports and wharves. Marcos would later take advantage of this by
launching an ambitious infrastructure program, in which he and his cronies
would benefit

(https://www.coursehero.com/file/90945538/HISTORY-OF-TRANSPORTATION-
IN-THE-PHILIPPINESdocx/)

Pre-colonial
Water
Indigenous people used rafts, outrigger boats, and other boats for travel and
trade
Land
Indigenous people used horse-drawn carts, carriages, and walked long
distances
Spanish colonial
Carts: Horse-drawn carts and carabao carts were used for transportation
American colonial
Cars: American-made cars were introduced and sold in the Philippines
Jeepneys: Filipinos repurposed leftover U.S. military Jeeps from World War II
to create a unique form of public transportation
Modern
Railways: Railways were introduced in the late 1800s
Streetcars: Streetcars were introduced in the late 1800s
Buses: Buses were introduced in the early 1900s
Airlines: Airlines were introduced in the 1940s
LRT and MRT: Modern systems like LRT and MRT were introduced

PUBLIC TRANSPO. CHALLENGES

Like most developing countries, the Republic of the Philippines struggles to
maintain a transportation system that can meet the needs of its citizens. Due
to a lack of capital, roads are difficult to maintain and expand [1].
Government supported transportation is nearly non-existent except in the
naval and aerial sectors [2]. The Philippines' problem is even further
compounded by the tight confines of its island terrain. Cities are very
crowded due to the high mountains on the interior of the islands and few
flatlands along the coasts. With little room to grow and expand, cities
become very congested and traffic begins to back up. (Public Transportation
Problems in the Philippines: Using Network Flow to Improve Efficiency, Payne,
Abe L; Minami, Nathan A. IISE Annual Conference. Proceedings; Norcross
(2009), https://www.proquest.com/docview/192460965?
sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals)

 Ride-sharing services like Grab and Uber in the Philippines have

significantly impacted public transportation by offering increased
convenience, safety, and accessibility, often drawing passengers away
from traditional public transport like jeepneys, potentially reducing
ridership on public transit while also creating competition that can
push for improvements in the existing system; however, concerns
remain regarding potential traffic congestion and regulatory challenges
in integrating these services effectively with existing public
transportation networks.
 The primary environmental impact of transportation in the Philippines
is significant air pollution due to high emissions from vehicles,
particularly the widespread use of old, poorly maintained jeepneys,
contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and posing serious health
risks, especially in congested urban areas like Metro Manila; this is
further exacerbated by the rising number of private cars and overall
traffic congestion, making the transportation sector a major contributor
to climate change in the country.
Key points about the environmental impacts of transportation in the
Philippines:
High air pollution:
The main concern is the significant amount of air pollution generated by
vehicles, primarily from jeepneys which emit high levels of particulate
matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides due to poor maintenance and
outdated technology.
Greenhouse gas emissions:
The transportation sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
in the Philippines, with a large portion coming from road transport,
contributing to climate change.
Traffic congestion:
Heavy traffic jams in urban areas, especially in Metro Manila, further
exacerbate air pollution by causing vehicles to idle longer and emit more
pollutants.
Impact on public health:
Air pollution from transportation is linked to respiratory illnesses, particularly
among vulnerable populations like children and the elderly.
Lack of sustainable alternatives:
The reliance on private cars and poorly maintained public transportation
limits the adoption of cleaner alternatives like electric vehicles and efficient
mass transit systems.
Potential solutions to mitigate environmental impacts:
Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP): Replacing old jeepneys
with newer, cleaner vehicles that meet emission standards
Investment in mass transit systems: Developing and expanding rail lines and
bus rapid transit (BRT) to reduce reliance on private cars
Promoting active transport: Encouraging walking and cycling through
dedicated infrastructure
Electric vehicle adoption: Increasing the availability and affordability of
electric vehicles
Traffic management strategies: Implementing intelligent traffic systems to
reduce congestion
Cleaner and Modern Public Transportation in the Philippines
Mar 1, 2024 — The Philippine public utility jeepney (PUJ), or Jeepneys for
short, is an iconic mode of transportation in the country.

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