Bong Go files Philippine Building Act to ensure safer and more disaster-resilient communities

Senate.gov.ph | January 7, 2020

In a bid to make communities around the country safer and more disaster-resilient, Senator Christopher
Lawrence "Bong" Go filed a bill in December 2019 that seeks to provide for the effective regulation of
planning, design, construction, occupancy, and maintenance of all public and private buildings and
structures.

Senate Bill (SB) No. 1252, also known as the "Philippine Building Act of 2019", aims to safeguard the
public welfare and to mitigate the impact of disasters by proposing to provide all buildings and
structures a framework of minimum standards and requirements in line with mainstreaming disaster
risk reduction and management efforts and to regulate and control their location, siting, planning,
design, construction, and maintenance.

Asked on why there is a need for such measure, Go said that many elements are lacking or need to be
updated in the current building code due to the changing times.

"The National Building Code of the Philippines took effect on February 19, 1977. Ilang dekada na po ang
nakakalipas mula nang ito ay naging batas. Mula noon, marami na po tayong mga natutunan tungkol sa
building safety dahil sa advancements in science, at pati na din po sa ating mga naging masasamang
experience mula sa sakuna, tulad ng lindol na nangyari sa Mindanao. Panahon na upang ating pag-aralan
ang pag-update sa National Building Code na ito," Go said.

The senator added that some safety standards on fire safety and sanitation are not mentioned in the
current Building Code, leaving several loopholes and inadequacies that should be addressed.

"Kapansin pansin po na kahit na mayroong mga safety standards ang current Building Code, gaya ng fire
safety and sanitation, hindi po specifically mentioned ang disaster resiliency dito. Napakahalaga ng
disaster resiliency dito sa ating bansa dahil maliban sa around twenty typhoons ang pumapasok sa ating
bansa taon-taon, our geographic location makes us vulnerable to other disasters, such as earthquakes,
landslides, storm surges, and more."

To fill up these loopholes, Go is proposing amendments to ensure that all buildings and structures in the
country are built according to the principle of "building back better".

"'Building back better' requires that in the reconstruction of damaged structures, due consideration shall
be given to the possibility of the disaster repeating itself," said Go.

"Ire-require din natin na ma-integrate ang disaster resilience measures sa paggawa ng rules and
regulations, at sa reference standards para sa pagplano, pag-design, at pag-reconstruct ng mga bagong
buildings and structures na itatayo," he added.

To prevent corruption in the building of such structures, the bill also promotes the accountability among
relevant stakeholders and establishes sustainability standards for government-owned buildings to
mitigate any negative environmental, economic, and social impacts.

"Kailangan din nating mag introduce ng steps upang maiwasan ang corruption na possibleng nagiging
sanhi ng non-compliance ng ibang building owners sa safety standards. To do this, we can introduce a
'Peer Review' system which shall be performed by an accredited and independent verifier who can
confirm whether or not the structural design of a proposed or new building or structure complies with
the new set of safety standards."

If the proposed measure is passed into law, the National Building Official (NBO) will be primarily
responsible for its execution, administration and enforcement, while a Building Regulations and
Standards Council will be created to assist the NBO in reviewing and recommending rules and
regulations and reference standards to accomplish the objectives of the proposed law.

The Office of the National Building Official (ONBO), within the Department of Public Works and
Highways, will also be created to provide sufficient technical, legal, administrative, and support
personnel to the NBO.

To ensure the safety and resilience of buildings and structures, the bill provides a system of classification
as to their type of construction according to fire resistance rating; use or occupancy; and required
permitting process. Each classification will have specific rules and regulations promulgated by the NBO.
General planning requirements for the location, siting, and zoning of buildings and structures are also
provided in the bill, all of which should also take into account the environment and its conservation and
protection.

As for design requirements, the bill mandates due consideration of structural stability, protection from
fire, moisture and surface water, among others.

Buildings and structures will also be required to provide safe access, circulation, and egress from the
buildings, including emergency exits for persons and vehicles.

According to Go, the use of materials, pieces of equipment, plants, and tools, and selection of personnel
for construction must also conform to reference standards to ensure quality of materials and
workmanship.

"Pagdating sa construction and demolition ng buldings, kailangan natin magkaroon ng maayos na waste
management. All buildings must be constructed or demolished with a corresponding waste
management plan to protect the environment and the health of surrounding inhabitants," Go said.

"Sa pagpili ng building materials at components, kailangang sumunod sa set of criteria that will consider,
among other things, the strength, fire resistivity, moisture resistance, durability, and sustainability and,
of course, disaster resilience," Go added.

Go also said that the proposed measure covers the review and inspection of old buildings to ensure that
structural integrity of these structures are compliant.

"Sa pagpasa ng bagong batas na ito, kailangan din po nating ma-review ang structural integrity ng mga
building na naluma na," he explained.

To promote accountability among stakeholders further, building owners of any proposed construction
or existing building or structure will be asked to secure the appropriate permits from the Local Building
Official, prior to the start of such work or occupancy.

The owners will also be required to maintain the buildings according to provided requirements.

The ONBO will establish a system for monitoring, reporting, and evaluating maintenance and inspection
activities, according to the bill.

Finally, the NBO, in coordination with relevant agencies, will also develop and administer incentive
schemes to promote voluntary compliance and to encourage all owners to promote the use of
environmentally sound or sustainable materials, methods, practices, and technologies.

"Huwag na po natin intayin magkaroon pa ng isa pang sakuna. Importante na maging handa ang ating
bansa para masigurado na safe at disaster-resilient ang ating mga komunidad," Go explained.

Mindanao quakes: Structures should be safe if PH Building Code truly followed, says engineer
ABS-CBN News | December 30, 2019

With the series of strong earthquakes that hit parts of Mindanao this year, there is increasing worry
about the safety of structures in quake-hit areas.

Officials of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) have urged residents to
have their houses checked by engineers because of the multiple major earthquakes that happened in
the Cotabato and Davao area starting October this year.

Engr. Rex Sirilan, head of research and development of structural engineering firm Sy Squared, said
there has even been talk among engineers on whether there is a need to amend the National Building
Code of the Philippines or Republic Act no. 6541.

“We haven’t encountered such strong (earthquakes),” he told ABS-CBN in a phone interview.

He said that while the building code is at par with international standards, it would have been better if
engineers on the ground had enough time to check the buildings and make sure they were retrofitted if
it was necessary.
The first major earthquake (magnitude 6.3) hit Cotabato on October 16. It was followed by magnitude
6.6 and 6.1 on October 29 and a magnitude 6.5 quake on October 31. The most recent major temblor
was a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Davao del Sur on December 15.

Sirilan said that because of the “unique case of Mindanao,” there might be a need to update the
building code.

But for Engr. Cesar Pabalan, former head of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines
(ASEP) and of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), the specification in the Building Code and
the National Structural Code of the Philippines should suffice.

He said the only thing they want amended are the requirements under the two codes to make building
processes more efficient.

“The design, as far as the Building Code is concerned, (should be able to) withstand those several
earthquakes without collapse,” said Pabalan, who is currently ASEP’s disaster mitigation, preparedness,
and response head. “Even if earthquakes happen one after the other. There should be no collapse.”

Pabalan, who went to Mindanao after the October quakes, said most of the buildings they checked were
structurally sound. Only a few collapsed and those had “irregularities” that should have been addressed.

He said that while there might be damage, structures that strictly followed the building code should not
collapse.

“If it collapses, then there is something wrong with the building,” Pabalan said.

He said, even buildings constructed decades ago should also not collapse since they should have been
made to comply with the Building Code.

One problem, he said, is that houses and other one-storey buildings are sometimes constructed without
an overseeing engineer.

“Those are usually damaged because they are not engineered structures. And because of the use of
materials,” he said, adding that the hollow blocks used might be of inferior quality.

Pabalan said one useful resource that homeowners can check is Phivolcs' guidelines on how to ensure
that a house is safe from an earthquake.

The “How safe is my house?” flyer includes questions such as whether if a house has 6-inch external
walls.