HISTORY OF ENGINEERING
TRANSPORTATION PRACTICES
IN THE PHILIPPINES
by: The Path Finders
OBJECTIVES
of tr an sp or ta tion
s toric al ev ol ut io n
sta nd the hi pr es en t
To under f ro m Pr e-C ol on ia l to th e
infrastructure
erin g in no vations
o gica l an d en gin e
tify te ch n ol em s
To iden e d tr an spo rta tio n s ys t
that im p ro v
t ur e p ro sp ec ts in
en t tr en d s an d fu
To know the curr h e P hil ip pin es
e ng in eer in gs in t
transportation
OUTLINE
LO N I A L PE RIO D
PRE-CO
IS H C OL O N I AL E R A
SP A N
A N CO L ON I A L ER A
AME RIC
POST-W AR ER A
MARTI AL LA W ER A
POST-EDSA ERA
TURE PROSP E CTS
ENGES AND FU
CHALL
COLON IAL PE R IOD
PRE-
(BEFORE 156 5)
BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE SPANISH, FILIPINOS HAD THEIR
OWN INDIGENOUS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS.
THESE WERE LARGELY INFLUENCED BY THE ARCHIPELAGIC
NATURE OF THE COUNTRY, WHERE BOATS LIKE BALANGAY
AND PARAW WERE CRUCIAL FOR TRADE, COMMUNICATION,
AND TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN ISLANDS. THESE BOATS
WERE EXPERTLY CRAFTED USING TRADITIONAL METHODS
PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS.
BALANGAY PARAW
IS H COLONIAL ERA
SPAN
(1521–1898)
THE SPANISH COLONIZATION MARKED
THE BEGINNING OF MORE FORMALIZED
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN
THE PHILIPPINES.
AND BRIDGES
ROADS
THE SPANISH INTRODUCED THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND
BRIDGES, PRIMARILY FOR MILITARY AND ADMINISTRATIVE
PURPOSES. THESE STRUCTURES WERE OFTEN BUILT USING FORCED
LABOR (POLO Y SERVICIOS) AND LINKED MAJOR TOWNS AND CITIES
TO FACILITATE CONTROL AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES. THE
CARRETERA GENERAL (GENERAL HIGHWAY) SYSTEM CONNECTED
MANILA TO OTHER PROVINCES.
TS AND M AR ITIME
POR
TRANSPO RT
SPANISH AUTHORITIES EXPANDED AND FORTIFIED
EXISTING PORTS, SUCH AS THOSE IN MANILA, TO
SUPPORT THE MANILA-ACAPULCO GALLEON TRADE.
THIS TRADE ROUTE WAS CRUCIAL IN CONNECTING
THE PHILIPPINES TO GLOBAL MARKETS.
CALL E R EA L
(ROYAL RO AD S)
SIGNIFICANT ROADS, KNOWN AS CALLE REAL,
WERE CONSTRUCTED IN MAJOR CITIES LIKE
MANILA AND CEBU, SERVING AS THE MAIN
ARTERIES OF URBAN TRANSPORT.
ROADS AND BRIDGES
PORT AND MARITIME TRANSPORT
CALLE REAL
AN COLONIAL ERA
AMERIC
(1898-1946)
THE AMERICANS ESTABLISHED ITS GOVERNANCE IN 1901. DESPITE THE
MUCH SHORTER LENGTH OF THE US CONQUEST OF THE PHILIPPINES
COMPARED TO THE SPANISH COLONIZERS, MUCH OF THE WAY
TRANSPORT IN THE PHILIPPINES WAS SHAPED BY THE AMERICANS.
THIS ERA MARKED THE GRADUAL SHIFT FROM RAIL-BASED TO ROAD
TRANSPORT, WHICH PERSISTED EVEN AFTER WORLD WAR II AND THUS,
THE PHILIPPINES AS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.
Manila Railroad Deparment of Public
Company Works & Highways
PROPOSED PLAN
MANILA BAGUIO CITY
Manila North Road
Kennon Road
Manila South Road
TRANVIA
POST- W AR ER A
(1946–1 970 )
AFTER GAINING INDEPENDENCE IN 1946, THE PHILIPPINES
CONTINUED TO DEVELOP ITS TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE, ALTHOUGH PROGRESS WAS OFTEN
HAMPERED BY ECONOMIC
CHALLENGES AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY.
TRANSPORTATIONS DESTROYED DUE TO WAR
HIGHW AY S AND
ROA D S
THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS, EMBARKED ON MAJOR ROAD-BUILDING PROJECTS. THE PAN-
PHILIPPINE HIGHWAY (NOW KNOWN AS THE MAHARLIKA HIGHWAY) WAS ONE OF THE
MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECTS, AIMING TO CONNECT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY FROM
NORTH TO SOUTH.
PAN-PHILIPPINE HIGHWAY
(MAHARLIKA HIGHWAY)
N TRANSPORT
URBA
IN MANILA, THE INCREASING POPULATION LED TO TRAFFIC CONGESTION,
PROMPTING THE GOVERNMENT TO EXPLORE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
SOLUTIONS. THE INTRODUCTION OF JEEPNEYS, CONVERTED FROM MILITARY
JEEPS LEFT BY THE AMERICANS, BECAME AN ICONIC SYMBOL OF FILIPINO
INGENUITY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
JEEPNEYS
MARTIAL L AW E RA
(1970– 19 86 )
DURING THE MARTIAL LAW ERA IN THE PHILIPPINES (1972-1981),
THE GOVERNMENT, LED BY PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS,
FOCUSED ON LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO
BOOST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
BACKGROUND
THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXPRESSWAYS LIKE THE NORTH LUZON
EXPRESSWAY (NLEX) AND SOUTH LUZON EXPRESSWAY (SLEX),
AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS, INCLUDING THE MANILA LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM
(LRT). THESE PROJECTS AIMED TO MODERNIZE THE COUNTRY'S
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITATE ECONOMIC
GROWTH.
POST-E DS A ER A
(1986-P RE SE NT )
THE POST-MARCOS ERA HAS SEEN CONTINUED
EFFORTS TO MODERNIZE THE COUNTRY'S
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE,
THOUGH CHALLENGES REMAIN.
PUBLIC-P RIV A TE
PARTN ER S HIP S
MANY RECENT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED
THROUGH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PPPS),
INCLUDING TOLL ROADS, AIRPORTS, AND PORTS. THE
MRT-3, WHICH RUNS ALONG EDSA, WAS ONE SUCH
PROJECT AIMED AT ALLEVIATING TRAFFIC CONGESTION
IN METRO MANILA.
MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS
THE EXPANSION OF THE LRT AND MRT SYSTEMS,
ALONG WITH PLANS FOR NEW RAIL LINES LIKE THE
LRT-2 AND MRT-7, REFLECTS ONGOING EFFORTS TO
IMPROVE URBAN TRANSPORTATION. THE PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL RAILWAYS (PNR) ALSO SAW EFFORTS TO
REHABILITATE AND EXPAND ITS SERVICES.
EXPRESSW AY S AND
HIGHW AY S
MAJOR EXPRESSWAY PROJECTS, SUCH AS THE
TARLAC-PANGASINAN-LA UNION EXPRESSWAY
(TPLEX) AND THE CAVITE-LAGUNA
EXPRESSWAY (CALAX), HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED TO ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY
BETWEEN REGIONS.
AIR AN D SE A
TRA NS PO RT
THE MODERNIZATION OF AIRPORTS,
SUCH AS THE MACTAN-CEBU INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AND THE EXPANSION OF THE
PORT OF MANILA, CONTINUE TO BE PRIORITIES
AS THE PHILIPPINES POSITIONS ITSELF AS
A MAJOR LOGISTICS HUB IN ASIA.
CHALLEN GES AN D
FUTURE PR O SP ECT S
DESPITE THESE ADVANCEMENTS, THE PHILIPPINES
FACES SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES IN ITS
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING TRAFFIC
CONGESTION, INADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, AND THE NEED FOR
DISASTER-RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE. RECENT ADMINISTRATIO
NS HAVE FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING THESE THROUGH INITIATIVES
LIKE THE "BUILD, BUILD, BUILD" PROGRAM, WHICH AIMS TO
ACCELERATE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
CHALLEN GES AN D
FUTURE PR O SP ECT S
THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
IN THE PHILIPPINES IS LIKELY TO BE SHAPED
BY THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT
INFRASTRUCTURE, GIVEN THE COUNTRY'S
VULNERABILITY TO NATURAL DISASTERS AND
THE GROWING DEMAND FOR EFFICIENT URBAN
TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS.
THANK YOU!