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    Popoyo Natszu
    1) The document discusses the Philippine Building Laws and how Filipino architects are well-suited to enforce them. It notes that as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased, more structures need to be built according to local building codes. 2) Filipino architects understand the local building codes intricately since they are required to design building plans in compliance with these codes. Their expertise makes them best able to navigate the complex and sometimes vague rules. 3) Some local authorities may take advantage of ambiguities in the laws to prohibit construction without permits from professionals like architects. However, Filipino architects have mastery over the required techniques and can properly handle projects despite outdated applications of codes.

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    Term Paper

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    18 views4 pages
    1) The document discusses the Philippine Building Laws and how Filipino architects are well-suited to enforce them. It notes that as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased, more structures need to be built according to local building codes. 2) Filipino architects understand the local building codes intricately since they are required to design building plans in compliance with these codes. Their expertise makes them best able to navigate the complex and sometimes vague rules. 3) Some local authorities may take advantage of ambiguities in the laws to prohibit construction without permits from professionals like architects. However, Filipino architects have mastery over the required techniques and can properly handle projects despite outdated applications of codes.

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    1) The document discusses the Philippine Building Laws and how Filipino architects are well-suited to enforce them. It notes that as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased, more structures need to be built according to local building codes. 2) Filipino architects understand the local building codes intricately since they are required to design building plans in compliance with these codes. Their expertise makes them best able to navigate the complex and sometimes vague rules. 3) Some local authorities may take advantage of ambiguities in the laws to prohibit construction without permits from professionals like architects. However, Filipino architects have mastery over the required techniques and can properly handle projects despite outdated applications of codes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    18 views4 pages

    Term Paper

    Uploaded by

    Popoyo Natszu
    1) The document discusses the Philippine Building Laws and how Filipino architects are well-suited to enforce them. It notes that as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased, more structures need to be built according to local building codes. 2) Filipino architects understand the local building codes intricately since they are required to design building plans in compliance with these codes. Their expertise makes them best able to navigate the complex and sometimes vague rules. 3) Some local authorities may take advantage of ambiguities in the laws to prohibit construction without permits from professionals like architects. However, Filipino architects have mastery over the required techniques and can properly handle projects despite outdated applications of codes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    Philippine Building Laws

    A Term Paper regarding the Philippine Building Laws


    Author/s: Tabinas, Renato Miguel F.
    Rizal Technological University, Manila, Philippines
    [email protected]

    Abstract: During these times where foreign investors and owners of local market are rising in
    numbers, it is a necessity that local building laws are kept in check. Especially
    when more and more establishments are being built every day. Local
    professionals, especially Filipino architects, can be the sole overseer of building
    law enforcement. Filipino architects know every building law there is as they
    are the ones who initially have to create plans for any projects which must
    comply to rules and codes. Said codes and rules contain intricate and vague
    instructions which only architects could which to use for every certain scenario
    as they have mastery over their professions.
    Keywords: foreign, local, architect, enforcement, mastery, intricate, vague.

    INTRODUCTION
    The Philippines is currently being dominated by foreign investors and owners through the
    Republic Act No. 7042 otherwise known as the “Foreign Investments Act of 1991” which
    allowed foreign investors to invest up to 100% equity in domestic market enterprises. This
    could be beneficial to the economy of the Philippines as well as to the design and construction
    community of the country.
    Foreign investors would eventually have to have their investments built in structures, to have
    better profit long term, as their businesses grow exponentially through the years. Said foreign
    investors would have to look and hire for a local professional to handle their investments’
    physical forms as only local professionals are allowed to practice their profession in the
    Philippines. This also implies an advantage of having endemic expertise towards certain
    necessities as well as confidence in having their businesses bult to last long term.

    1.1 Advantages of Local Endemic Knowledge compared to Learned


    Information from Second Hand Sources
    Local and first-hand information are, in no way, inferior to information from second hand
    sources. Local or primary information are information that came directly from those stating
    such while secondary information is those that have been analyzed and rephrased for better
    wording and quite possibly had some changes from the original. That said, local knowledge
    gives more direct instructions and more human applications compared to second hand ones.
    In the setting of Filipino architecture and construction, local knowledge is easier to understand
    and follow than those learned from second hand sources, i.e., information from foreign sources,
    as said local knowledge contain information that were formulated for the Filipino people.
    Information such as construction of small structures that could resist natural disasters could be
    classified as special local information since only locals know what and how to build resistant
    structures in different areas, especially that the Philippines is an archipelago.

    1.2 Competency of Filipino Architects in the Philippine setting

    1
    Filipino architects are commonly compared to engineers and people who do construction in
    terms of their capabilities in building design and construction. One of the basic and occurring
    worries of architects when dealing with clients is good design over cheap construction
    (Panganiban 2021).
    Though negatively affected, Filipino architects never got hindered by this issue and still
    continue to practice their profession while fighting for it from non-architects. Architects’ works
    are very distinguishable from those works of non-architects which speaks for architects’
    competency. Non-architects could never do what an actual architect does. Architects design
    not just mere buildings but whole communities. Architecture must consider culture, climate,
    and the values of the people that will live in it (Olivarez 2022).
    In the current situation in the Philippines where foreign investments and ownerships are made
    possible through FIA of 1991, Filipino architects gained more leverage to prove their
    competencies by simply getting those foreign investors and owners as their clients. Non-
    architects wouldn’t possibly be able to do the same as said foreign investors know that getting
    an actual professional architect would mean better design and insured safety. It is unsurprising
    that proponents of high-rise buildings or township developments choose architects above other
    technical professionals, given their education and awareness of the value of investing
    significant resources to create a sensible and long-lasting investment (Fulgar 2022).

    1.3 The Convoluted Nature of Building Laws in the country


    There are numerous of building laws in the Philippines that needs to be applied while building
    a structure. In the Philippines, one of the laws that were mandated by the government in terms
    with design, construction and development is the Philippine Building Code. This has different
    codes and use for each project category (Cosme 2018). Building laws such as the National
    Building Code, Fire Code, Sanitary Code, Structural Code, and even specific City Ordinances.
    The mentioned laws often times get confusing especially when more than two laws have
    different regulations for a certain area where one could not possibly know which to follow.
    Architectural professionals, who studied and practices such laws, would easily know which
    code to use for every specific scenario. They spent at least 5 years in architectural schools plus
    a few more years after graduating, before becoming an actual professional, where said laws
    and codes are necessary to know and be practiced. Unlike non-architects who get opportunities
    to build a structure, most of the time they build something uninhabitable due to certain building
    code violations – mostly because of them not having proper knowledge of different building
    laws. With this, Filipino architects should have better chances at getting foreign investors and
    owners as their clients when it comes to building structures for businesses where every cent
    counts.

    1.4 Abusive Behavior of some Local Authorities in the Ambiguity of


    Philippine Laws
    With foreign investments and ownerships of local businesses made possible through the FIA
    of 1991, local authorities could look at this as a way to abuse their power when it comes to the
    inexactness of the laws of the Philippines. Normally, said foreign investors and owners would
    have to have their establishments built before they could even have their profits. Local
    authorities could then prohibit them from having any establishments without any professional
    consultation.

    2
    It is a major violation of the National Building Code if one dared to have a structure built
    without any necessary documents and permits. Such permits are only possible to attain if it was
    proposed by a professional to respective authorities. Local architects and other local
    professional are only the ones who can legally create plans and have said permits signed by
    corresponding officials. Even foreign professionals are not authorized to practice their
    profession in the Philippines, as stated in the Republic Act No. 5181.

    1.5 Outdated Application in the same Building Laws


    The multiple building codes in the Philippines have been in law for decades and some had been
    revised to keep up with the continuous technological advancements happening around the
    world. The PD 1096 otherwise known as the National Building Code of the Philippines for
    example, it was originally Republic Act No. 6541 which was then replaced by the PD 1096 in
    1977. Nearly three decades later, the continuous rise in technological advancements both
    locally and globally again placed the need to revise the then in-practice 1977 National Building
    Code. This led to the formulation of its latest revision published in 2005, which is currently
    being used by the local building design and construction industry (Fulgar 2021).
    It has been more than a decade since the last revision of the National Building Code of the
    Philippines and technology has advanced even more since. Though may seem outdated,
    applications and how-to guides in the Code are perfectly enough for Filipino architects as
    newer technology takes time to get adapted in the country. Most, if not all, of the professionals
    have mastery over said “outdated” techniques which then contributes greatly to the success of
    the project.

    CONCLUSION
    Even with the continuous rise in foreign investors and owners of the local market, Filipino
    architects never had the problem of having little to no foreign clients. As such, Filipino
    architects got more opportunities to practice their career as said foreign investors wouldn’t
    possibly able to have any of their businesses built without any professional consultation.
    Whilst Philippine laws are often ambiguous and outdated, Filipino architects are still the best
    people to approach as they have mastery over what they do especially when circumstances are
    difficult to assess. It is even a violation if one dared to approach a non-architect for an
    architectural project. Foreign clients would also have a greater sense of confidence when
    working with a local professional as they have a better feel of their environment and could
    come up with a good solution to every arising problem along the way.

    REFERENCES
    Barre, Tessa, and Rambo Talabong. 2016. ASEAN architect urges Filipino colleagues to be
    ‘globally competitive’. July 18. Accessed May 1, 2022.
    https://www.rappler.com/moveph/140123-asean-architect-higher-standards-asean-
    philippines/.
    Cosme, Maria Patricia Joanna. 2018. Building Laws, Codes & Orders. May 23. Accessed May
    2, 2022. http://jecoconstruction.ph/2018/05/23/building-code-of-the-philippines/.
    Fulgar, Ian. 2022. Architects In The Philippines For Resiliency And Sustainability. February
    15. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.ianfulgar.com/architecture/architects-in-the-
    philippines-for-resiliency-and-sustainability/.

    3
    —. 2021. National Building Code Of The Philippines – Its History, Current State, and Future.
    January 5. Accessed May 3, 2022. https://www.ianfulgar.com/architecture/national-
    building-code-of-the-philippines-its-history-current-state-and-future/.
    Olivarez, Eric L. 2022. House Bill No. 10666. Quezon City, January 13.
    Panganiban, Benjamin. 2021. Safeguarding the architectural profession. October 19. Accessed
    May 2, 2022. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/10/19/business/real-estate-and-
    property/safeguarding-the-architectural-profession/1818865.
    Poco, Leandro Nicholas Rañoa. 2020. Architecture education should adapt to the realities of
    the profession. September 11. Accessed May 1, 2022.
    https://bluprint.onemega.com/build-relevance-competence-architecture-education-
    adapt-profession/.

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