Philippine Building Act of 2018

What is the Philippine Building Act of 2018?

It is a proposed piece of legislation that is designed to harmonize the present National Building Code with various other codes and regulations related to the resilience and safety of our houses, buildings, and other structures.

Our existing national building code is more than 40 years old and needs to be updated–this can only be done through legislation by Congress.

Furthermore there are several, separate codes and standards related to building design and construction. This situation needlessly complicates and possibly compromises the safety and resilience of the country’s structures.

For example, there is the Fire Code of the Philippines which is implemented by the Bureau of Fire Protection, separate from the National Building Code. There are other building and safety regulations being implemented at the local level in various cities and municipalities.

The Philippine Building Act of 2018, once passed as a law, will update and harmonize with all laws and Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), both in the national and local government levels.

Aside from updating regulations and standards, the Philippine Building Act of 2018 will ensure a more streamlined method of implementation from the national to local government level.

This will make inspection, evaluation, and assessment much more efficient and reliable. It will also ensure that all structures follow only the best and latest standards for safety and resilience.

Through the passage and implementation of the Philippine Building Act, the country’s houses, buildings, and other structures will be built according to a harmonized set of regulations and standards.

We will also have Implementing Rules and Regulations harmonized with other laws that will be applied nationwide. Architects, engineers, builders, and contractors will also follow a set of harmonized Reference Standards.

Ultimately, the aim of passing the Philippine Building Act of 2018 into law is to minimize the harm to life, health, property, and public welfare when hazards like earthquakes, fires, typhoons, and floods strike.