The government seek opinions of all stakeholders in its effort to revise the existing National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
A consultation with all relevant stakeholders from Regions 1, 2, 3, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was held recently in Baguio City highlighted by proposal to strengthen disaster risk reduction including recommendation to incorporate provision on special sites and parking space as temporary evacuation during calamities.
The event is the first leg of the five (5) stakeholders’ consultation for the development of NBCP revision, with the four (4) others slated in Southern Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and in Manila.
The project is funded by World Bank in partnership with the Philippine government thru the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with the University of the Philippines-National Engineering Center-Building Research Service (UP NEC-BRS) tapped to provide the technical expertise on the revision.
DPWH CAR Director Danilo E. Dequito in his welcome remarks said that it is imperative to consider risk reduction management in the revision of NBCP considering that disasters have continued to exact a heavy toll and, as a result, the well-being and safety of persons, communities and countries as a whole have been affected.
DPWH National Building Code Development Office Acting Executive Director Johnson V. Domingo said that the consultation organized by UP NEC-BRS enabled the participants to inject their opinions and recommendations on topics namely General Design Requirements; Legal and Institutional Arrangements; Sustainable Sites; Building Materials; and Building Services and Sustainability.
Among the potential revisions include streamlining the process of acquiring building permits, standardizing the specifications of building materials, and introducing new building categories.
Aside from considering whether to amend the NBCP or just its IRR, experts from UP NEC-BRS are also reviewing for reference the Philippine Green Building Code as well as other international building codes.