03/08/2026
VILLAFUERTES BACK MARCOS' CALL TO UPDATE 1977 NATIONAL BUILDING CODE
Camarines Sur Reps. Luigi and Miguel Luis “Migz” Villafuerte have backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to modernize the nearly 50-year-old National Building Code, describing it as a key step toward making Philippine infrastructure more resilient to earthquakes, typhoons, floods, landslides, fires, and volcanic eruptions.
The lawmakers urged the Senate to pass its counterpart to House Bill No. 6615, or the proposed New Philippine Building Act, which the House approved in December 2025. Luigi Villafuerte said the measure would replace the 1977 code with updated, climate-resilient building standards, while Migz Villafuerte cited the collapse of an unfinished building in Angeles City and the Sarangani earthquake as reminders of the need for stronger construction regulations, particularly in preparation for the anticipated “Big One.”
The brothers also supported the President’s economic agenda, including raising the annual income tax exemption threshold to ₱350,000, exempting qualified small businesses from corporate income tax, and amending EPIRA by removing the systems loss charge and its VAT to help reduce electricity costs. They said these reforms would ease the financial burden on Filipinos amid rising living costs driven by global oil price volatility and Middle East tensions.
