t •

■* t-l.
'. r ’

'Dtl .• i." c!j>

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) •18 NOV 13 PI 50
Third Regular Session )

S.B. No. f

Introduced by Senator Grace Poe

AN ACT
TO ORDAIN THE NEW BUILDING CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Explanatory Note

"To live together in the world means essentially that a world of things is
between those who have it in common, as a table is located between those
who sit around it; the world, like every in-between, relates and separates
men at the same tim e." - Hannah Arendt, "The Human Condition"

We often forget role of buildings in our daily lives. Whether it is the homes which house
our families, or the offices where we work, we fail to appreciate how much we rely on
these structures every day. It is this "built environment" which provides durability and
protection from the forces of nature, and without which human activity is impossible.

From these precepts, one can argue that the standards of our buildings have a direct
bearing on the quality of our lives. After all, our health and wellness are affected by our
surroundings. For example, a National Geographic article from 20171 pointed out that
buildings with better ventilation, natural lighting (and similar techniques such as task
lighting, dimmers, and timers), and active design (e.g., staircases facing open windows)
had healthier, happier, and more productive employees.

In stark contrast, buildings in the Philippines are not always conducive to human health.
For one, we are the second deadliest country in the Asia Pacific for household air
pollution.2 At least 16 of our days every year are spent stuck in traffic.3 Severe weather
disturbances caused us to lose Php 128 billion in economic losses in 2016.4

1 H ow ard, B.C. "5 S urprising W ays Buildings Can Im p ro v e O ur H e a lth " National Geographic (1 4 F e bru ary 20 17). R etrieved fro m
h ttD s ://w w w .nab onalqeoqraD hic.com /environm ent/urban-exD editions/Q reen-buildinQ s/surD risina-w avs-Q reen-buildinQ S -im orove-
he a lth -s u s ta in a b ilitv /
2 "P h ranks second in W HO lis t fo r deadly in d o o r po llu tio n in Asia P acific" CNN P hilippines (0 2 May 2 0 18)
httD ://cnnD h iliD D ines.com /n ew s/201 8/Q 5 /02/P H -2 nd-W H O -in doo r-D ollutio n-A sia-P acific.h tm l
3 "Filipinos spend 16 days a y e a r stuck in tra ffic : S tu d y" TTie Straits Times {2 ^ N ovem ber 20 1 7 ). R etrieved fro m
h ttp s ://w w w .stra itsbm e s.com /a sia/se-asia/filiD inos-S D en d-1 6-d avs-a-vear-stuck-in-trafF ic-studv
4 "T yphoons, d rough ts leave 129 b illion in eco nom ic loses in 2 0 1 6 " ABS-CBN (3 1 O cto b e r 20 1 7 ). R etrieved fro m h ttp s ://n e w s .a b s -
c b n .e o m /b u s in ess/10 /31/1 7/tvD ho ons-drou ahts-leave -129 -billion-in-e conom ic-losses-in-2Q 16