Speed limits in the Philippines

The speed limit sign is a red circle with numbers inside as in most countries including Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Speed restrictions for motor vehicles were first defined during the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands in Act No.

Under this act, it was prohibited for a motor vehicle to be operated "recklessly" or at a speed that may inflict damage to property or the safety or rights of people relative to current road conditions.

4136, passed by the 5th Congress of the Philippines on June 20, 1964, which consolidates and repeals all previous acts into a unified traffic code.

[1] RA 4136 states that any person driving a motor vehicle on a highway shall: Based on the above provisions, RA 4136 defines maximum allowed speed limits, which apply to all motor vehicles on public highways, including cars, motorcycles, jeepneys, and trucks.

RA 4136 also states that the driver of any vehicle traveling at an unlawful speed shall forfeit any right of way which he might otherwise have enjoyed under the same law.

[4] On provincial and local roads, LGUs may designate their own speed limits subject to the approval of the DOTr.

[4] Speed limits on all limited-access highways or expressways in the Philippines are defined by Department of Public Works and Communications (DPWC) Administrative Order No.

[10] As of 2025[update], the minimum and maximum speed limits on expressways are as follows: On May 18, 2023, Ilocos Sur 1st district representative Ronald Singson filed House Bill No.

[17] Enforcement of speed limits are low in the Philippines due to lack of awareness of the mandate set by RA 4136.

[20] To address this concern, DOTr, DPWH and DILG issued a joint memorandum on January 17, 2018 addressed to LGUs regarding the implementation of RA 4136 and encouraging LGUs to adopt lower speed limits in a bid to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries nationwide.