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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Transportation in the Philippines

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Linking the islands of the archipelago was traditionally done by boat. Today, ships are still used by millions of people to cross straits between the major islands, since there are no bridges except from Leyte to Samar. Cebu lies at the center of the ferries network, while small bangkas bring people to remote islets or through river mouths and harbors. The implementation of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway aims at speeding up and smoothing transfers from island to island. The port of Manila, a small player in the dynamic West Pacific rim, may be relieved from congestion with the rise of Batangas and Subic. Aviation, centered at the saturated Manila airport, has grown quickly since deregulation pitted new entrants (Cebu Pacific) against the well-established Philippine Airlines. A good part of intercity travel is done with buses, since the country has almost no rail transport today. At the local level, mobility is done with quintessential Philippine vehicles: the jeepney (sometimes transformed in a masterpiece of pop art), the trisikel, the pedicab or the skates. Today, efforts are underway to transform the system by introducing clean electric vehicles and reforming the rules of for-hire transportation, despite strong oppositions.