126 Years of Transforming Philippine Transportation

With transportation as the backbone of the Philippine economy, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) plays a vital role in implementing transport systems in railways, aviation, maritime, and road sectors.

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Over the decades, the DOTr has transformed the nation's transportation landscape with changes in policy, planning, development, implementation, and regulation of transport systems.

Philippine Transportation Through History

The country's transportation sector traces its roots back to 1891 when the colonial train had its first commercial run on the Manila-Dagupan Ferrocaril line. The opening of the first commercial rail line was, however, caught between two colonial overlords: the Spaniards and the Americans.

Then came the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution. In it, the First Philippine Republic was established in January 1899, with President Apolinario Mabini putting the transportation and communications sectors under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Welfare.

From the American colonization period in the early 1900s, the commonwealth government, Philippine republic, and up to the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., the transportation sector was merged with the communications, defense, commerce, and public works portfolios.

Unprecedented Growth