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Transportation in the Philippines
About 14 percent of the 158,810 km
(98,110 mi) of roads in the Philippines are paved, this is in spite of the
difficult mountainous terrain. In Metro Manila, there are many modes of
transportation available. Buses, jeepneys, LRT, and taxis are
readily available for use in getting around the city.
Buses are available with
air-conditioning or without. The price for riding in air-conditioning is
about double what you would pay for riding without and use certain main routes. There are also
charter bus
lines available for those wanting to travel outside Manila.
The most popular mode of transportation
in Manila is the jeepney. As the name implies, it is basically a colorful
jeep that looks like those used by the Americans during World War
II. They have regular stops, as do buses, but will also stop if they
are flagged down.
Taxis are air-conditioned and can be
found practically anywhere in Manila. On occasion a driver will say his
meter is broken, if so, traveler beware! It is time to get out and find
another taxi, as you will probably get overcharged by this scam. If
a person traveling to the Philippines wishes to travel by car, but not in a
taxi, they can rent a car, but need to have a valid international drivers
license. For travelers staying in deluxe hotels, many offer limousine
services.
The LRT (Light Rail Transit) is the
best way to get downtown and get around in Manila. It's relatively
inexpensive and is very fast.
In addition, the PRN (Philippine
National Railways), which run by the state, is also an option for those
traveling out of Manila. Railroad
tracks cover about 1,060 km (660 mi) of the Philippines, and is limited due to
its being mainly on Luzon. An option for traveling between the
islands is to use ferries.
For travelers not wishing to be on
water, airline travel is another option since there are over 40 major provincial
airports. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is just a
kilometer from the Manila Domestic Airport and is about 7 miles from the center
of Manila. NAIA also has many amenities from a medical clinic to banks and
postal service in addition to duty-free shops, souvenir shops, tourist
information centers and more. The airport in Cebu, Mactan International
Airport (MIA), is about 45 minutes from the city's center and has duty-free
shops, tourist information centers like the major airports in Manila.
Roughly a fourth of the airports in the
Philippines have paved runways - out of 262 airports, 75 runways are
paved. PAL, the Philippines
Airlines, is the national air carrier and serves Manila with links to 12
cities in 7 countries. It also has daily routes to 17 local cities.
Major airlines from other countries also serve Manila. In addition, Cebu
has chartered flights from Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
For chartered travel to smaller locations, there are several carriers available -
Cebu
Pacific, Asian Spirits, Mindanao Express Airlines, and SEAir, Incorporated.
Cruise ships are served by Manila, with
inter-island ships connecting Manila to other major island ports. The busiest seaports are
Manila, Cebu,
Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga which are a part of the 3,219 km
of waterways and seaports.
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