THE Philippines marks a crucial milestone in its transportation infrastructure as the Department of Transportation celebrates its 125th anniversary today, January 21.
The DOTr has witnessed over a century of evolution, navigating revolutions, natural disasters, and the ever-changing demands of a growing nation, a journey toward a more connected and efficient transportation system.
It has become the primary policy, planning, programming, coordinating, implementing, and administrative entity of the executive branch of the government on the promotion, development, and regulation of a dependable and coordinated network of transportation systems, as well as in the fast, safe, efficient and reliable transportation services.
Moreover, the DOTr is vital in accelerating the country’s economic development. It provides the backbone for growth and enhances the country’s competitive edge by providing practical and efficient transportation infrastructure systems that narrow the geographical and physical divide, connecting the country, its islands, and its people to the rest of the world.
Promoting transport services to be world-class
By 2030, the Department envisions being a world-class organization, providing integrated transport, and connecting people, islands, families, communities, and the nation with the rest of the world while constantly responding to the demand for environmentally sustainable and globally competitive transport.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, in the latter part of 2023, announced the department will transform the four transport sectors, namely roads, railways, aviation, and maritime, by global standards to address multiple challenges, including direct economic congestion cost, high logistics cost and issues in tourism and road safety.
At the time, DOTr handled more than 160 projects, including 73 infrastructure efforts across the project development lifecycle. There were approximately 28 projects under the aviation sector, 26 under maritime, 59 under railways, and 47 under roads. These projects aim to support the administration’s eight-point socio-economic agenda.
Furthermore, the department implements non-specific thematic initiatives that are all-encompassing across the four transport sectors. It includes reducing logistics costs, creating transport jobs, transport safety and security, carbon neutrality, disaster resilience, gender equality, disability, and social inclusion, among other 20 thematic initiatives.
Nonetheless, the DOTr also turned its attention to other critical initiatives, which many organizations regard as advocacies, such as digitalization, electric vehicles, institutional strengthening, rightsizing, and more.
Besides fitting the country’s transport sector with modern ideals, infrastructure, and equipment, the DOTr also focuses on promoting the safety and security of Filipino road users.
According to Bautista, multi-sector efforts must focus on formulating and implementing interventions to protect road users, especially children, if they want to achieve the goal of reducing road crashes.
In the last month of 2023, the DOTr Chief led the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of the National Coalition on Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention (NC CRTIP) and the launching of the 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety (GSRRS).
Bautista emphasized how the department will have valuable use for GSRRS to instill the need to protect children through the consciousness of public and private sector officials of death and injury due to road crashes.
Moreover, the DOTr launched an interactive and educational facility to inform and prepare the public on safety and basic rules on the road. It offers the public and students educational and interactive stations with driving simulators for two and four-wheeled vehicles.
The department through the years
The DOTr’s story began in 1899. These early years saw the development of primary transportation networks focused on railways and maritime travel. The iconic Manila-Dagupan Railway, completed in 1903, became a symbol of progress and connectivity, while ports like Manila and Cebu facilitated trade and commerce across the archipelago.
From January 21, 1899, to May 7, 1899, with Apolinario Mabini as President of the Cabinet or Prime Minister, Gracio Gonzaga served as the Secretary of Public Welfare, which included the transportation and communications portfolio.
When Mabini was replaced by Pedro Paterno as president of the Cabinet, among the seven departments set up was the Communications and Public Works Department. Paterno became the Secretary of Public Works and Communications. Since then, Public Works, Transportation, and Communications have been grouped into one department.
The American colonial era saw the formation of the Department of Commerce and Police in 1901, later evolving into the Department of Commerce and Communications (DOCC) in 1916, a testament to the growing importance of transportation infrastructure.
Eventually, the post-war era ushered in a new chapter for the DoTr, marked by the rise of automobiles and aviation. Highways crisscrossed the landscape, connecting towns and cities, while the skies above saw the first commercial flights take off. The iconic jeepney, a symbol of Filipino ingenuity and resourcefulness, emerged as a ubiquitous mode of public transportation.
After World War II, the DOCC transformed into the Department of Public Works and Communications (DPWC), shouldering the responsibilities of infrastructure and transport regulation.
As the nation modernized, the DPWC evolved into the Department of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications (DPWTC) in 1951.
However, the complexities of managing infrastructure and regulatory functions led to a split in 1979, creating the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) alongside the Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH).
The MOTC faced its share of organizational shifts. By 1985, Executive Order 1011 streamlined its structure, establishing new agencies like the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. The 1987 Constitution paved the way for the MOTC’s transformation into the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in 1987.
DOTr’s 125th anniversary is a significant milestone, but it’s important to remember that the journey is far from over. The department faces ongoing challenges, such as ensuring equitable access to transportation, addressing traffic congestion, and promoting sustainable mobility. These challenges require continued cooperation between the government, the private sector, and the Filipino public.
By working together, stakeholders can ensure that the next 125 years of the DoTr are even more successful, paving the way for a Philippines that is truly connected, progressive, and on the move.