A consumer advocacy group urges legislators to speedily act on a bill amending the 50-year-old National Building Code of the Philippines to make it responsive to the digital economy and treat connectivity as a basic utility akin to power, water, and sanitation.
“Residential and commercial spaces need to have provisions to connect with digital infrastructure,” said Teofilo Abejo, co-convenor of the advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines.
“Our building code needs to be updated to be responsive to the emerging digital economy,” he stressed.
CitizenWatch which earlier pushed for the crafting of a telecommunication infrastructure code said the Building Code of 1977 needed to be updated.
“Developers of residential and commercial properties, both horizontal and vertical, need to understand their responsibility in providing connectivity as early as the project inception phase,” Abejo said.
He said House Bill No. 900, also called “An Act Providing for the Telecommunications Technology Readiness of Buildings and Structures, Amending Certain Sections of Presidential Decree 1096, or the National Building Code introduced by Rep. Christian Tell Yap needed some improvements.
“In advanced economies, having a mobile phone and a reliable broadband connection are as normal as having electricity or running water,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the original plans of some communities and high-rise buildings that are under development do not even contain such provisions the way they do for water or power. This is not acceptable in this information age,” he said.
Abejo pointed out that demand for telecommunication facilities can only increase especially after the pandemic-driven lockdowns forced many to find ways to remain connected for school, work, and even everyday personal transactions.
“It is also crucial during disasters, when preparation, rescue, and rehabilitation work hinges on connectivity,” Abejo said.
Unfortunately, most property developers are not able to provide necessary interaction and even space allocation for the delivery of basic telecommunication services.
“We believe that communication and digital connectivity are a basic human right that plays a critical role in our nation’s transformation to digitally enabled and competitive country in the digital global economy,” Abejo said.
The amended building code will ensure that developers will integrate connectivity prior to occupancy.
“Telecommunication and ICT infrastructure will be seen as a part of mandatory requirements to obtaining a building permit,” Abejo said.
“A registered professional electronic engineer will sign such plans, which in turn will be part of at least five sets of corresponding plans and specifications,” he added.
Inspection and verification of telecommunications/ ICT facilities will be added as a condition to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or partial Certificate of Authority.
“Amendments also include the requirement that people moving into new developments should have ready access to high-quality broadband and voice services,” Abejo said.
“Multi-dwelling buildings, commercial buildings, government and office buildings, and public and private schools and hospitals should have in-building fiber optic cabling for high-capacity and high-speed requirements,” he added.
He pointed out that provisioning for ICT should be done at the beginning by the developer so that these can be placed underground in the way plumbing, and sanitation facilities are provided.
“Our policy leaders must be guided by the principle that digital connectivity as a basic human right should inspire the development of real properties that are digital ready for a tech driven society,” Abejo said