Road signs in the Philippines are regulated and standardized by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).[1] [2] Most of the signs reflect minor influences from American and Australian signs but keep a design closer to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, to which the Philippines is an original signatory.[3] [4] The Philippines signed the convention on November 8, 1968, and ratified it on December 27, 1973.[5]
Though the Philippines has signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, road signs "Priority Road", "End of priority road", "Give way to oncoming traffic" and "Priority over oncoming traffic", which are mainly found in European countries, are not used in this country as well as in the United States, Canada, and Latin American countries.
Part 2 of the Highway Safety Design Standards Manual mandates the use of the Standard alphabets, often referred to as Highway Gothic. It contains a reproduction of the former Australian implementation AS1744-1975 Standard Alphabets in the appendix pp A103-A146. Clearview appears to have supplanted it, and other fonts are in use.
Regulatory signs indicate the application of legal or statutory requirements. Disregarding these signs may constitute the road user to an offense.
Warning signs are used to warn road users to the potential hazard along, or adjacent to, the road. They are triangular and red-bordered, as well as warning signs used in Europe.[6]
Guide or information signs are used to inform road users about the direction and distances of the route that they are following.
Expressway signs are signs that are used on, or near, controlled-access roads.
Traffic instruction signs are used to instruct a road user to follow a direction or perform an action. These are also used as a supplement for regulatory and warning signs.
Hazard markers are signs that are usually used in places with obstructions and curves. These signs may be used with or after a warning sign.