Telecom network cables are pictured in Paris, on June 30, 2013. (AFP file photo/THOMAS COEX)
MANILA, Philippines — An advocacy group wants an amendment to Presidential Decree 1090, or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
CitizenWatch Philippines believes the building code should be updated to indicate digital connectivity as part of mandatory requirements in residential and commercial spaces before occupancy.
On Monday, the organization’s co-convenor Teofilo Abejo said the 50-year-old law should be more “responsive to the digital economy.”
“Residential and commercial spaces need to have provisions for connecting with digital infrastructure. Developers of residential and commercial properties need to understand their responsibility in providing connectivity as early as the project inception phase,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, the original plans of some communities and high-rise buildings that are under development do not even contain [mobile phone and reliable broadband connection] the way they do for water or power. This is not acceptable in this information age,” he noted.
Abejo said digital connectivity is “crucial” during a disaster because communication and digital connectivity are basic infrastructure that will pave the way for the nation’s growth.
“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 obtain a building permit,” he added.
In July 2022, Tarlac Second District Representative Christian Yap filed House Bill Number 900, an act mandating buildings and structures ready for telecommunications technology.
Yap had said National Building Code must be amended, given the technological advancements that the Philippines should now have.
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