SURIGAO del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. yesterday urged the House of Representatives to approve on third and final reading a bill seeking to revise the 46-year-old National Building Code of the Philippines to ensure public safety during calamities.
Momo said House Bill (HB) No. 8500, or the proposed new Philippine Building Act (PBA), which the House approved on second reading last week, will revise the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP) and ensure the standardization of building design, location, materials, and safety measures against natural calamities.
Momo warned of the dangers of the country being vulnerable to typhoons and earthquakes, as well as a “grim scenario” following the predicted 7.2 magnitude earthquake, dubbed the “Big One,” the impact of which, he said, could amount to P2.5 trillion in total economic losses with estimates of 34,000 fatalities and scores of houses and public buildings either damaged or collapsed.
“With the growth of our economy and the increase in our population, the pressures for land development and building construction continue to mount throughout the country. These tend to expose more structures and their occupants to natural disasters unless proper technical and regulatory safeguards are provided,” he said.
“We, therefore, implore our dear colleagues in the House to immediately pass the new Philippine Building Act. This landmark measure will make the buildings in the Philippines much safer for the people and more resistant to natural hazards, for the benefit of the present and future generations,” Momo added.
As a former undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and an engineer by profession, Momo said the proposed legislation can revise and improve the NBCP, which currently imposes standards on building structures.
He said the PBA would not only revise the NBCP as it would also “promote innovative designs and construction and ease of doing business.”
“The bill will provide for updated minimum standards for the regulation of location, planning, design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, and demolition of buildings, the streamlining of the building permit process, and the setting of reference standards,” the lawmaker said.
He added it would “safeguard life and protect people from injury, ensure the health and well-being of the people who use them, protect property from physical damage, and reduce and manage hazards, exposures, and vulnerabilities.”
The key provisions of the measure would make relevant stakeholders accountable by ensuring their compliance with the rules and regulations, as well as the reference standards, of the PBA or risk facing sanctions, criminal cases, or fines.
Relevant stakeholders include local building officials, building owners, building professionals, building contractors, among others.
Under the proposed bill, buildings will follow a classification system according to their fire resistance rating, occupancy, and permitting process.
It would also compose a list of general requirements for the standardization of location and zoning, design, construction, materials, permits and licenses, and occupancy, maintenance, and abatement.
Momo said the proposed law would not only impose these standards on new buildings since “special structures” completed in 2005 or earlier “must undergo an assessment of the design, as to structural stability and fire safety.”
Under the bill, when a building is declared to be dangerous, the local building official “shall order its repair, vacation, or demolition.”
The administration of the PBA would fall under the National Building Official, who is the current DPWH secretary, as well as the building regulations and standards council, the regional building appeals boards, the local building officials, building owners, building professionals, and building contractors.
