Overhaul of building rules sought after MRT-7 pillar collapse
By Filane Mikee Cervantes | Philippine News Agency | April 15, 2025 6:29 pm
MRT-7 PROGRESS. Metro Rail Transit-7 posts are up along West Avenue in Quezon City on March 17, 2025. Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, House Committee on Metro Manila Development chairperson, on Tuesday (April 15) called for the replacement of the country’s decades-old National Building Code following the collapse of a concrete pillar at the construction site. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)
MANILA – A House of Representatives leader on Tuesday called for the replacement of the country’s decades-old National Building Code following the collapse of a concrete pillar at the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-7) construction site along West Avenue in Quezon City.
Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano, who chairs the Committee on Metro Manila Development, stressed the need to replace the outdated building code with a new National Construction Code that includes tighter enforcement and updated safety provisions.
“The last straw. That disastrous MRT-7 construction site collapse should be the real wake-up call for Congress so that finally the National Building Code must be replaced soon by a National Construction Code with strict administrative enforcement measures and mechanisms to ensure successful prosecution of all violators,” Valeriano said in a statement.
The April 13 incident involved the collapse of a bored pile intended to support the elevated turnaround section of the MRT-7. No injuries were reported but nearby utility cables were affected.
Valeriano said the new code should include provisions on green and biophilic architecture, disaster adaptation, containment of airborne diseases, and climate-resilient technologies.
Valeriano said despite repeated violations, administrative and criminal penalties are rarely implemented.
“Violators are evading and avoiding prosecution,” he said. “Administrative proceedings must be strengthened and disciplinary sanctions must be more forceful.”
In a separate move, Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera filed House Resolution No. 2262 seeking a congressional inquiry into the collapse.
Herrera said the inquiry is necessary “to determine the cause of structural failure, identify lapses in oversight, if any, and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in future government infrastructure projects.”
“There is an urgent need to revisit and possibly strengthen regulations governing construction safety, structural audits, third-party assessments, and community hazard notifications in the vicinity of ongoing public works,” she said.
The Department of Transportation said the incident would not affect the structural integrity of the entire MRT-7 line.
Source: Philippine News Agency
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