MANILA, Philippines – Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon promised to secure sufficient funding for the implementation of a master plan to make the Philippines more walkable and bikeable, during a forum hosted by inclusive transportation advocacy group AltMobility PH on April 12, in Makati.

As the opening event for the Philippine Mobility Series 2025, the forum gathered sustainable transportation advocates, local government unit (LGU) representatives, and officials from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to discuss the future of people-centered transportation.

The master plan Dizon promised to push for is called the Active Transportation Strategic Master Plan (ATSMP), a plan being formulated by the department he leads.

It seeks to establish a framework for a high-quality active transport system across the country. It is currently on a consultation phase, in which private architectural firm Palafox Associates has been tapped to conduct a series of public consultations on what the master plan should contain. The consultations are expected to be the basis of the master plan that will then be piloted in Metro Manila, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo City, Zamboanga City, Surigao City, and Mati City.

But budgetary constraints may limit the DOTr’s Active Transport Office to just one pilot area in 2026, as it is set to receive only P69 million, according to the office’s head, Eldon Dionisio, during an episode of Be The Good, Rappler’s community show. While the amount may still change as the National Expenditure Program is finalized, the small budget raises questions about the department’s commitment to active transportation.

Dizon admitted the difficulties of implementing transportation budgets, given how his department’s 2025 budget had been slashed by over P90 billion. In the approved budget for this year, the DOTr got less than half of what it asked for — P87.24 billion versus the P180.14 billion detailed in the National Expenditure Program, which already had a P20-billion budget cut.

“Unfortunately, if it was cut, as those in government here know. When there’s no budget, we can’t use other funds for that program. What we’re going to do is tell [Road Transport] Undersecretary [Mark Steven] Pastor to make sure that whatever was cut for 2025 is restored and even increased in 2026, and we’ll just have to fight for that when we get to Congress,” he told Rappler at the forum.

While Dizon acknowledged the need to make do with the available resources, he further committed to effectively utilize the allocated budget this year to prevent further cuts in the next one. “That’s one of the reasons why budgets of the departments get cut,” he said. 

Because the ATSMP is still in its consultation phase, costs have not yet been fully identified, meaning the DOTr has not yet laid out the program’s proposed budget for submission to the executive branch. But similar programs have been hindered in the past by insufficient funding.

DPWH, MMDA found wanting

The country remains far from being built for active transportation, a reality Dizon openly acknowledged during the forum.

Metro Manila, in particular, has long been shaped by infrastructure that is not pedestrian-friendly, such as the steep ramp at EDSA Philam Station and the excessively high footbridge in Kamuning.

”Is Metro Manila built for people? It’s not… if it was built for people, you wouldn’t have a 12% gradient ramp for [persons with disabilities]… You’ve got wires that could kill you that are in the way of pedestrians,” Dizon said.

A representative from Quezon City lent his voice to concerns that some government agencies aren’t fully backing active transport initiatives.

Alberto Kimpo, Quezon City Assistant City Administrator for Operations, asserted that the role of the local governments in interagency efforts concerning active transport is primarily represented by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). He added that efforts of cities to initiate active transport projects are stalled because of a lack of support from national agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA),

“The provisions clearly support active transport and the use of roadways for active transport purposes. Bike lanes, widening sidewalks, setting up public utility vehicle (PUV) stops. But instead, it appears that DPWH and MMDA insist on their own policies, which, of course are mandated,” Kimpo said.

Dizon stressed the importance of political will in driving the prioritization of active transportation. He also urged civil society groups to crowdsource feedback on pedestrian infrastructure, such as overpasses, to push for more inclusive designs.

While Dizon claims to fight for an adequate budget for active transportation, the ATSMP’s success will ultimately depend on how well government agencies work together to implement projects and plans. Currently, projects to protect pedestrians and cyclists are coordinated through the the Interagency Technical Working Group for Active Transportation, which includes DILG, DPWH, DOTr, the Department of Health, among other agencies.

The struggle to reduce road crash deaths

An active transport system is a necessary remedy to the car-centric infrastructure that dominates the Philippines. Decades of urban planning that prioritizes private vehicles over people have resulted in non-pedestrian-friendly roads that endanger lives.

AltMobility PH Director Patricia Mariano emphasized that there are clear consequences to this model, such as road crashes and air pollution.

“There are no accidents because it wasn’t inevitable. It wasn’t unexpected. We call them road crashes. So the idea is that these come from flawed systems. They happen because of bad designs and our perception of how streets should be used,” Mariano said. 

Approximately 12,000 people die each year in road crashes, according to the Department of Health. In response, the DOTr launched the Philippine Road Safety Action Plans (PRSAP), beginning with the 2011-2020 plan, which was later updated to cover 2017-2022. Most recently, the DOTr introduced the PRSAP for 2023-2028, which aims to reduce road traffic deaths by 35% by 2028.

But despite these initiatives, road crash fatalities have remained high. Attention has turned to the PRSAP 2023–2028 as it seeks to deliver where its predecessors fell short in reducing deaths.

“The PRSAP was launched in 2011, and the road deaths still increased despite that. So I think now we need to learn from what happened then and work together so that we can meet our 35% goal,” Mariano said.

With the country struggling to reduce road traffic deaths, making the Philippines more walkable and bikeable may also be an uphill battle if systemic problems like underfunding and lack of teamwork among government agencies and other important sectors persist. – Rappler.com

Andrei Rosario is a Rappler intern. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.