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A PROPOSED ordinance that will impose “electronic fees” for any application for building permit of heavily electrical structures has been met with positive response from stakeholders, though some had their reservations about the draft’s specifics.
The proposed ordinance seeks to empower the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to collect fees that will ascertain that an applicant complies with the requirements on electrical specifications as mandated by the city and the National Building Code of the Philippines.
Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, the proposed ordinance’s author, said his draft stemmed from several fire incidents caused by the usage of substandard electrical materials by unlicensed electricians.
The Institute of Electricians and Engineers of the Philippines (IECEP)-Visayas chapter supported the ordinance.
Engineer Susan Tan, governor of IECEP-Visayas who attended the public hearing, said the ordinance was in accordance with the group’s aim to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare.
“For a long time, it has been observed that there are no available regulations related to the design, construction and installation of electronic facilities under the supervision of an electronics engineer, which results to the use of substandard installation of facilities,” Tan said.
She also added that indiscriminate installations of wireless systems in buildings can cause interference with vital communication facilities and other devices, despite the existence of a law that requires wireless systems to be installed by a professional electronics engineer.
Dr. Eric Tuanio of Smart Technologies Inc. also supported the ordinance, saying it would be beneficial to the public.
However, Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon, representing the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP), said her group wanted to be informed about the details of the fee.
She asked if the “electronics fee” would be another fee on top of the usual fees that outdoor advertisers already pay for their structures.
Alcordo, who is also president and general manager of Alcordo International Inc., said that despite the need for some clarifications, OAAP supports the draft ordinance.
