The Philippine highway network is a network of national roads owned and maintained by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and organized into three classifications according to their function or purpose: national primary, secondary, and tertiary roads.

[2] The north–south backbone refers to the main trunkline, the Pan-Philippine Highway (N1, also designated as Asian Highway 26), which runs from Laoag in the northernmost parts of Luzon to Zamboanga City in western Mindanao, interconnecting the country's major islands.

Other roads of strategic importance provide access to other areas vital for regional development and infrastructure.

They directly link smaller cities and provincial capitals, airports, seaports, military bases and tourist centers to the primary roads.

[2] The national roads in the Philippines are labelled with pentagonal black-on-white highway shields.