Surigao del Sur 1st district Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. on Sunday, Oct. 5, has renewed his call for the swift passage of the long-delayed Philippine Building Act (PBA), in light of the deadly 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Cebu and nearby provinces last week.

According to Momo, failure to act immediately on the measure could result to more preventable deaths, injuries, and infrastructure damage in future disasters.

“The Cebu earthquake is a wake-up call, again. It shows the cracks not only in our buildings but in our outdated building regulations. We need a building code that reflects the current and updated engineering standards, hazard maps, and climate realities—not one that was written decades ago," Momo said.

“The time to pass this measure is not today, not tomorrow, not even yesterday. I have been pushing for the Bill since last two Congresses, this is long delayed and our kababayans are paying the price for our failure to act,” the Mindanao lawmaker added.

The magnitude 6.9 tremblor which hit Cebu on Sept. 30, left several buildings damaged, displaced families, and raised alarm over the structural integrity of both public and private infrastructures in urban areas.

The current building regulations, last updated in the 1970s, are widely seen as inadequate for today’s rapidly urbanizing and hazard-prone environment.

The proposed measure also passed third and final reading in the House of Representatives during the previous 19th Congress; however, it did not hurdle the Senate.

The refiled bill aims to ensure the stability of newly proposed or existing infrastructure against natural calamities and multiple hazards, among others.

Hoping to revise the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP), the PBA aims to ensure the standardization of building design, location, materials, and safety measures against natural calamities.

Momo also cited a specific provision in the bill that would make a structural review of buildings mandatory every 15 years.

“We cannot keep playing catch-up every time disaster strikes. We owe it to the people of Cebu—and every Filipino—to make sure that the buildings they live, work, and study in are safe,” he added.

Under the PBA, buildings will follow a classification system according to their fire resistance rating, occupancy, and permitting process.

It would also compose a list of general requirements for the standardization of location and zoning, design, construction, materials, permits and licenses, and occupancy, maintenance, and abatement.