The Department of Transportation (DOTr; fil, Kagawaran ng Transportasyon) is the

executive department The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...

of the

Philippine government The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...

responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation systems as effective instruments for national recovery and economic progress. It is responsible for the country's land, air, and sea communications infrastructure. Until June 30, 2016, the department was named Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC; fil, Kagawarán ng Transportasyón at Komunikasyón}). With Republic Act No. 10844 or "An Act Creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology", signed into law on May 20, 2016 during the administration of President

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

, the Information and Communications Technology Office was spun off the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and merged with all operative units of the DOTC dealing with communications, to form the new

Department of Information and Communications Technology The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) ( fil, Kagawaran ng Teknolohiyang Pang-Impormasyon at Komunikasyon}) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the planning, development and pro ...

History

From 1899 to 1979, all transportation activities were integrated into the structure and activities of what is now today the

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

Early history

On July 28, 1979, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), headed by Minister José P. Dans Jr. was formally created pursuant to Executive Order No. 546. Under this Executive Order, the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications (MPWTC) was divided into two separate ministries: The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH). The MOTC became the primary policy, planning, programming, coordinating, implementing and administrative entity of the executive branch of the government in the promotion, development and regulation of a dependable and coordinated network of transportation and communication systems. The infrastructure projects undertaken during this period included: * Light Rail Transit System *Computer-Controlled Traffic Lights System *Manila International Airport, renamed to

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...

*Central Post Offices in

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan ( fil, Lungsod ng Caloocan; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

It was also during this period that the motor vehicle registration and control was improved with the introduction of permanent vehicle license plates and the staggered registration system. A bus leasing program provided an additional 1,000 new buses in Metro Manila. The operations of both the

Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...

and the Metro Manila Transit Corporation were improved and expanded. At the same time, the Manila South Line of the PNR serving the

Bicol Region Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...

was rehabilitated.

Post-1986

On February 26, 1986, just after the

1986 EDSA Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

, Congressman Hernando B. Pérez was appointed Minister of Transportation and Communication by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Corazon C. Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

. In March 1987, technocrat Rainerio O. Reyes, was appointed Minister of MOTC. Immediately after, the MOTC was reorganized pursuant to Executive Order Nos. 125, and 125-A. With these Executive Orders, the MOTC was made into a department, under the Executive branch of the Government. Under Secretary Reyes, the quasi-judicial functions of the department were transferred to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, which was created through Executive Order No. 202.

Under Fidel V. Ramos

Jesus B. Garcia was appointed Secretary of the DOTC by President

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

. Under Garcia, new entrants were allowed in the

landline A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...

and

cellular phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

services, dilapidated

taxi cab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

s were also phased out in favor of brand new and late model units. In early 1995, then Senator

Ernesto Maceda Ernesto "Ernie" Madarang Maceda Sr. (March 26, 1935 – June 20, 2016) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and columnist who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1987 to 1998. He served as Senate President fro ...

ranked the DOTC first in his "Flagship Centers of Corruption and Inefficiency" scorecard for 1994 out of all the government agencies, citing its alleged irregular transactions for projects related to telecommunication. Maceda previously ranked it second for the year 1993.

Present

By 2016, the foundation of the

caused the DOTC to become simply the DOTr as the DICT transferred the DOTC's communications agencies to it. In July 2017, the Agency began transferring its main operations from its longtime headquarters at Columbia Tower in Mandaluyong to Clark, Mabalacat, Pampanga. Currently, the DOTr is pursuing numerous transportation projects as part of the

Build! Build! Build! The Build! Build! Build! Infrastructure Program (BBB) was the infrastructure program of Duterte administration, the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines. A key component of DuterteNomics, his socioeconomic p ...

infrastructure program of the government, with PHP 3.6T worth of public infrastructure projects being rolled out from 2018 to 2022.

Ongoing projects

Railways

Metro Manila Subway

The Metro Manila Subway, originally named Mega Manila Subway, is an approved underground

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

line to be built initially in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The subway project was fast-tracked with the announcement on February 5, 2021, that 25 tunnel boring machines will be used for the subway's construction. Planned partial operations of the subway was revised to sometime between December 2021 and February 2022. On April 27, 2021, the Department of Transportation announced that the underground works for the subway will start in the 4th quarter of 2021.

PNR North-South Commuter Railway

The North–South Commuter Railway is an under-construction

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

from

New Clark City New Clark City is a planned community currently undergoing development, located within the Clark Special Economic Zone in the towns of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac province, Philippines. It has an area of approximately and will accommodate up to ...

Capas, Tarlac Capas, officially the Municipality of Capas ( pam, Balen ning Capas; tgl, Bayan ng Capas), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines, and one of the richest towns in the province. The town also consists of numerous su ...

Calamba, Laguna Calamba, officially the City of Calamba ( fil, Lungsod ng Calamba), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According ...

. The North Line will have a length of 106-kilometer, from Tutuban in Manila to New Clark City, and is expected to be completed by 2021. The South Line will be reconstructed as an electrified standard-gauge full double-track line. Pre-construction work such as clearing of the right of way had been started in January 2018. Construction commenced in February 2019.

Organizational structure

The department is headed by the

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

, with the following seven undersecretaries and thirteen assistant secretaries *Undersecretary for Administration and Finance *Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports *Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Procurement *Undersecretary for Maritime *Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development *Undersecretary for Railways *Undersecretary for Road and Infrastructure *Assistant Secretaries for Maritime *Assistant Secretaries for Planning *Assistant Secretaries for Road Transport and Infrastructure *Assistant Secretary for Administration and Finance *Assistant Secretary for Aviation Intelligence and Enforcement *Assistant Secretary for Communications *Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs *Assistant Secretary for Procurement *Assistant Secretary for Project Implementation *Assistant Secretary for Railways

Attached agencies

Mitsubishi Adventure Patrol Car (Original Work)

Land (Road)

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (Abbreviation: LTFRB; Filipino: ''Lupon sa Pagpaprangkisa at Regulasyon ng Transportasyong-Lupa'') is an agency of the Republic of the Philippines under the Department of Transportation ( ...

(LTFRB) *

Land Transportation Office The Land Transportation Office ( fil, Tanggapan ng Transportasyong-Lupa; LTO) is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation responsible for all land transportation in the Philippines. Functions of the LTO inc ...

(LTO) * Toll Regulatory Board (TRB)

Rail

Light Rail Transit Authority The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public transport operator that is responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and/or lease of Manila Light Rail Transit System in the Philippines. It is organized as a government-owned ...

(LRTA) *

Metro Rail Transit Corporation The Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC), is a private consortium organized in June 1995. The consortium is composed of seven (7) Filipino-owned companies: Fil-Estate Management Inc (now Metro Global Holdings Corporation), Ayala Land Inc, Ramc ...

(MRTC) - not under the government, but supervised by the DOTr *

(PNR) *

Philippine Railways Institute The Philippine Railways Institute (PRI) is a rail transportation research and training center in the Philippines. It deals with research and development on the management, operation, and maintenance of railways, and training of personnel in the r ...

(PRI)

Air

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: Th ...

(CAB) *

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Abyasyong Sibil ng Pilipinas) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, econo ...

(CAAP) *

Clark International Airport Corporation Clark International Airport ( pam, Pangyatung Sulapawan ning Clark; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Clark; ), known as Diosdado Macapagal International Airport from 2003 to 2012, is an international airport covering portions of the cities of ...

(CIAC) * Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) * Mactan–Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) *

Manila International Airport Authority The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA; fil, Pangasiwaan ng Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Maynila) is a government-owned and controlled corporation and agency under the Department of Transportation of the Philippines responsible for the m ...

(MIAA)

Sea

* Cebu Port Authority (CPA) *

Maritime Industry Authority The Maritime Industry Authority ( fil, Pangasiwaan sa Industriyang Maritima), known by the acronym MARINA (), is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation responsible for integrating the development, promoti ...

(MARINA) *

Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Ph ...

(PCG) *

Philippine Merchant Marine Academy The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy ( fil, Akademiya sa Bapor Pangkalakalan ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMMA) is a maritime higher education institution operated by the Philippine government in San Narciso, Zambales. Student ...

(PMMA) *

Philippine Ports Authority Philippine Ports Authority ( fil, Pangasiwaan ng Daungan ng Pilipinas) is a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Department of Transportation as an attached agency. It is responsible for financing, management and operations ...

(PPA)

Miscellaneous

Office for Transportation Security The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) is the single authority responsible for the security of the transportation systems of the Philippines, including Civil Aviation, Sea Transport and Maritime Infrastructure, Land Transportation, Rail ...

(OTS) *

Office of Transportation Cooperatives The Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) is a government agency of the Philippines mandated to promulgate and implement rules and regulations that governs the promotion, organization, regulation, supervision, registration through accredi ...

(OTC)

Secretaries of Transportation

References

External links

Department of Transportation official website
{{authority control Philippines, Transportation

Transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...