The road network is mostly unpaved, only slightly more than half of the limited railroad system is in operation, and only a few ports have major passenger and cargo terminals.

Although an extensive road network covers almost the entire nation, the quality varies widely, and traffic congestion is common, particularly in Manila. Of the 160,000-kilometer network, only 17 per cent is paved. The remainder consists of gravel or earth tracks. In urban areas, transportation is available by taxi, bus, light rail, metro rail and the highly decorated but popular jeepney, a derivative of the World War II-era US army jeep which has been adapted to public transportation.

The Philippines has 897km of railroads but much of the network in the north is closed because of its poor condition.

Most of Luzon Island can be reached by land from Manila. The Southern provinces are traditionally reached by sea via an extensive roll-on roll-off 'nautical highway'. There are also 36 domestic airports covered by four airlines.