Philippines pushes to replace its 1977 National Building Code, Senate action pending

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his fifth State of the Nation Address on 27 July 2026 to call on Congress to replace Presidential Decree 1096 - the National Building Code of the Philippines signed by his father in 1977 - with a modern, all-hazards framework^[1]. The push gives fresh political momentum to House Bill No. 6615, the proposed New Philippine Building Act, which the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading in December 2025 but which remains pending in the Senate^[1].

No effective date has been set. The bill does not take effect until the Senate passes a counterpart measure, bicameral conference resolves any differences, and the President signs it into law. Work already permitted under Presidential Decree 1096 continues to be governed by that decree until a new law is enacted and its implementing rules take effect.

What the bill proposes to change

HB 6615 seeks to replace PD 1096 across the full lifecycle of a structure - planning, design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, and demolition. The House-approved text introduces several substantive departures from the 1977 code:

• Independent structural peer review for buildings five storeys and above, requiring a second licensed engineer to sign off on structural design before a permit is issued^[1]
• Mandatory 15-year structural reviews for existing buildings, with the obligation falling on building owners^[1]
• Scheduled construction-phase inspections at defined milestones, replacing the largely self-reported compliance model under PD 1096
• Mandatory materials certification, including concrete testing and rebar mill certificates, for covered projects
• Stricter enforcement against unauthorized floor additions, including denial of utility connections or occupancy permits until a structural re-analysis is submitted and approved
• Twelve occupancy classifications, each carrying its own set of standards, replacing the current framework

Section 20 of HB 6615 states that all buildings and structures must be designed to be structurally adequate in strength and stability against anticipated load combinations^[1]. Sections 31 and 32 require that construction not cause harm to workers, the public, or adjacent properties^[1].

Criminal liability and penalties

The proposed law introduces explicit criminal liability for building owners, licensed professionals, contractors, structural peer reviewers, testing laboratories, and inspectors found negligent or in violation. Under SB 2158, the Senate companion bill filed by Sen. Raffy Tulfo on 25 May 2026, penalties include imprisonment of at least six years and fines not exceeding one percent of the estimated construction cost. This is a significant escalation from the current PD 1096 ceiling of a ₱20,000 fine or two years' imprisonment, or both. Proposed penalties are subject to contest and are not final until a court rules.

Context: why the Senate has not yet acted

The House transmitted HB 6615 to the Senate in December 2025. As of early August 2026, counterpart measures - including SB 2158 and SB 666 filed by Sen. Bong Go at the start of the 20th Congress - remain pending in committee^[1]. The House had passed a predecessor bill, HB 8500, during the 19th Congress, but that measure also failed to clear the Senate before Congress adjourned.

Two disasters sharpened the urgency. A nine-story building under construction in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, collapsed on 24 May 2026, killing at least 30 people. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Sarangani province on 8 June 2026 left 61 people dead and around 1,400 injured, with multiple structures in Central Mindanao collapsing or condemned. Lawmakers cited both events in floor speeches urging the Senate to act.

The Department of Public Works and Highways is also running a parallel administrative track: its National Building Code Review Committee, reconstituted under Special Order 155, can revise the code's implementing rules without waiting for Congress. That process does not require Senate action and could produce interim changes to enforcement standards before any new law takes effect.

The Senate's second regular session of the 20th Congress opened in late July 2026. Whether the chamber schedules committee hearings on HB 6615 or its own counterpart bills before the session ends is the immediate question to watch. A presidential certification of urgency - which Malacañang had not announced as of early August 2026 - would allow the Senate to bypass the standard three-reading waiting period^[1].