As 6.8-magnitude quake hits Mindanao

FOLLOWING the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Mindanao on Friday, Nov. 17, Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. urged the Senate to immediately pass the proposed Philippine Building Act (PBA), which aims to ensure the stability of infrastructure against natural calamities, among others.

The proposed law has passed the third and final reading at the House of Representatives last August 2023, and its counterpart measure is now in the Senate for deliberation.

As chairman of the House Committee on Public Works and Highways, the lawmaker stressed the need for a new building code; more so now with what happened to his home region of Mindanao.

“We have seen the devastation of natural calamities on our kababayans. I would hate to think that we are now immune to their sufferings because calamities are but natural occurrences to Filipinos,” he said.

“As public servants, we must now more than ever join forces and ensure our fellow Filipinos are kept from harm. The power has always been in our hands. I call on my colleagues in Congress to pass the Philippine Building Act bill swiftly and without further ado,” Momo added.

The PBA, which hopes to revise the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP), aims to ensure the standardization of building design, location, materials, and safety measures against natural calamities.

The lawmaker also cited a specific provision in the bill that would make a structural review of buildings mandatory every 15 years.

The bill said that “Mandatory inspection and assessment by a Recognized Certifier as to structural stability and fire safety construction shall be commissioned by the Building Owner at the 15 year from date of completion of the building and every 15 years thereafter, in case of Special
Structures.”

“In cases of addition, alteration, conversion, rehabilitation, relocation, repair, and/or retrofit requiring more recent structural stability assessment and corresponding certification and clearance, the date of reckoning of 15 years for purposes of this Section shall be counted from the completion date of the latest building permit that involved the most recent structural stability clearance under this Act,” it stated.

Momo stressed that it is “high time” for the bill to finally become law as seen in the recent structural damages on buildings, roads, and other public infrastructure when an earthquake or other calamity hit the country.

“The earthquake that hit Mindanao last Friday should already serve as a wake-up call. I implore my colleagues to pass this bill while we’re at a critical juncture of our disaster preparedness and risk management policies,” he said. “We cannot afford to make mistakes or neglect our duties when lives and livelihoods are at stake.”

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.