Legal basis and prior issuances revised
- The classification is issued upon recommendation of the National Transportation Board created by Executive Order No. 45 dated July 6, 1936.
- Executive Order No. 135 dated December 31, 1937 is revised.
- Executive Order No. 194 dated March 13, 1939 (amending Executive Order No. 135) is revised.
- Executive Order No. 239 dated December 16, 1939 is revised.
- Executive Order No. 286 dated July 9, 1940 is revised.
- Executive Order No. 311 dated December 17, 1940 is revised.
- The revision applies “accordingly” to align the classification system with Executive Order No. 180.
Policy and purpose: road classification and maintenance responsibility
- The order is issued for classifying and establishing the limits of public roads.
- It is also issued to fix responsibility for the proper maintenance of roads that are built or to be built.
- The order creates a road classification system with corresponding right-of-way standards and administrative implementation duties.
Road classification: national, provincial, municipal/city
- The order establishes three road categories: National Roads, Provincial Roads, and Municipal and City Roads.
- All roads are placed within one of these classifications except those that fall within other enumerated categories through designation or request mechanisms stated in the order.
- The order prescribes right-of-way minimums and reserves wider rights-of-way in specified land conditions for national and provincial roads.
National Roads: coverage and right-of-way
- National Roads include:
- All roads previously classified as Insular roads.
- Main traffic routes connecting provincial capitals with important commercial centers, national airports, national seaports, and national parks.
- Roads of military importance.
- Roads that may be designated by the President upon favorable recommendation of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications.
- National Roads must have a right-of-way of not less than twenty (20) meters.
- A right-of-way of at least sixty (60) meters must be reserved for roads constructed through unpatented public land.
- A right-of-way of at least one hundred twenty (120) meters must be reserved through naturally forested areas of aesthetic or scientific value.
- The order lists National Roads by province and route with kilometer-from, kilometer-to, and length in kilometers for the road system.
Provincial Roads: coverage, designation, and right-of-way
- Provincial Roads include:
- All roads connecting one municipality with another municipality, with the terminal being the public plazas.
- All roads extending from a municipality, or from a provincial or national road, to a public wharf or railway station.
- Any other road that may be designated by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications upon the request of the Provincial Board concerned and upon favorable recommendation of the Director of Public Works.
- Provincial Roads must have a right-of-way of not less than fifteen (15) meters.
- A right-of-way of at least sixty (60) meters must be reserved for roads constructed through unpatented public land.
- The order lists Provincial Roads only through the definitional framework and through the National Roads listing; classification and right-of-way rules for provincial roads operate as general standards under the order.
Municipal and City Roads: coverage and right-of-way
- Municipal and City Roads include all highways not included in the two above classifications.
- Municipal and City Roads must have a right-of-way of not less than ten (10) meters.
- Principal streets of townsites located on public lands must have a width of sixty (60) meters.
- All other municipal and city streets must have a width of not less than fifteen (15) meters.
- The order does not enumerate municipal and city roads in the main tabulated road list; municipal/city road coverage is determined by exclusion from national and provincial classifications.
Implementation: who builds, supervises, and finances
- Construction, maintenance, and improvement of National Roads must be accomplished by District and City Engineers under the supervision of the Director of Public Works.
- National Roads must be financed from appropriations authorized by the Republic of the Philippines in annual or special appropriation acts.
- The Secretary of Public Works and Communications must allot funds collected under section 1495 of the Revised Administrative Code and Act No. 3992, as amended, except thirty (30) per centum of those funds.
- Of the funds allotted under that exception framework:
- Ten (10) per cent accrues to the municipalities for the maintenance and improvement of municipal roads.
- Twenty (20) per centum accrues to the road and bridge funds of provinces and chartered cities for the maintenance and improvement of National Roads.
- Funds for National Roads must be used for construction “whenever practicable” or when funds are “not needed for maintenance purposes.”
- Construction, maintenance, and improvement of Provincial Roads must be accomplished by District Engineers under the supervision of the Director of Public Works, subject to existing laws.
- Provincial Roads must be financed with provincial funds and such aid as may be authorized by the Republic of the Philippines in annual appropriation acts.
- Construction, maintenance, and improvement of Municipal and City Roads must be accomplished by the municipal or city government concerned subject to existing laws.
- Municipal and City Roads must be financed with municipal or city funds and such aids as authorized by existing laws or authorized by the Republic of the Philippines in annual appropriation acts.
- Any municipal road of great importance to the province may be classified as a provincial road when requested by the Provincial Board and upon favorable recommendation of the Director of Public Works, decided by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications.
- The Secretary of Public Works and Communications must cause the Director of Public Works to prepare, from time to time, a map showing the proposed system of national and provincial roads.
- The proposed road map becomes the official road map of the Philippines only upon approval by the President.
Official road map and revised system
- The order directs preparation of a road map for the national and provincial road system.
- The President’s approval converts the proposed map into the official road map of the Philippines.
- Prior executive orders on road classification are revised accordingly to reflect this road system.
Road enumeration: national routes by location
- National Roads are enumerated by province/area and by named route with:
- Kilometer “From,” kilometer “To,” and length in kilometers.
- The enumeration covers National Roads across provinces and includes an additional set of city street/road listings (including entries for cities such as Bacolod City, Baguio City, Calbayog City, Cebu City, Dagupan City, Davao City, Dumaguete City, Iloilo City, Legaspi City, Lipa City, Manila, Naga City, Ormoc City, Ozamis City, Quezon City, Rizal City, San Pablo City, Tagaytay City, and Zamboanga City), using kilometer measurements and route names as listed in the order.