P.D.

1096

Presidential Decree 1096, popularly known as the National Building Code of the Philippines,
which was issued on February 19, 1977 has achieved the purpose of enforcing uniform standards
and requirements on building design, construction, use, occupancy and maintenance in line with
the policy of the state to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare.

Light and Ventilation

Every dwelling shall be so constructed and arranged as to provide adequate light and ventilation as
provided under Section 805, of this Code.

Public Space

A public space is a place that is generally open and accessible to people. Roads (including the
pavement ), public squares, parks and beaches are typically considered public space.

Open Space

Open space is any open piece of land that is undeveloped (has no buildings or other built
structures) and is accessible to the public. Open space can include: Green space (land that is partly
or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation).

ACRONYMS:

MACA – Maximum Allowable Construction Area

PSO- Percentage of Site Occupancy

AMBF- Allowable Maximum Building Footprint

TLA- Total Lot Area

TOSL- Total Open Space within Lot

ISA- Impervious Surface Area

B.P. 344

“AN ACT TO ENHANCE THE MOBILITY OF DISABLED PERSONS

BY REQUIRING CERTAIN BUILDINGS, INSTITUTIONS, ESTABLISHMENTS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES
TO INSTALL FACILITIES AND OTHER DEVICES.”

RULE I Scope and Application

Purpose:
The Rules and regulations set forth herein provide for minimum requirements and standards to
make buildings, facilities and utilities for public use accessible to disabled persons, pursuant to
the objectives of Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled
Persons by Requiring Certain Buildings, Institutions, Establishments and Public Utilities to
Install Facilities and Other Devices.

RULE II – MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSIBILITY

1. Design Criteria:
1.1 CATEGORIES OF DISABLED PERSONS. The categories of disability dictate the varied measures
to be adopted in order to create an accessible environment for the handicapped. Disabled persons
under these Rules may be classified into those who have:
1.1.1 Impairments requiring confinement to wheelchairs; or
1.1.2 Impairments causing difficulty or insecurity in walking or climbing stairs or requiring the use
of braces, crutches or other artificial supports; or impairments caused by amputation, arthritis,
spastic conditions or pulmonary, cardiac or other ills rendering individuals semi-ambulatory; or
1.1.3 Total or partial impairments of hearing or sight causing insecurity or like hood of exposure to
danger in public places; or
1.1.4 Impairments due to conditions of aging and in coordination;
1.1.5 Mental impairments whether acquired or congenital in nature.

STANDARD OF ACCESSIBILITY FOR SPECIAL TYPE OF FACILITIES

The provision of this section shall apply to the specified type of facilities and identified specific
requirements for accessibility and usability which shall be provided for each of the listed occupancy
uses.

a) Seating for the disabled shall be accessible from the main lobby to primary entrances, together
with related toilet facilities.

b) In all assembly places where seating accommodation is provided, there shall be spaces for the
disabled persons as provided.
Seating Capacity Wheelchair Seating Space:

4 50 2
51 300 4
301 500 6

c) When the seating capacity exceeds 500 an additional wheelchair seating space shall be provided
for each total seating capacity increase of 100 seats.
d) Readily removable seats may be installed in these spaces when such spaces are not required to
accommodate wheelchair users.

In the computation for the allocation of accessible units and seating capacity decimal greater than
0.5 shall be considered as one unit. In all cases a minimum of one (1) accessible unit shall be
provided.

RAMPS

 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Inaccessible building entrances due to difference between indoor and outdoor levels.

Inaccessible routes due to differences in level.

Lack of or improper design of ramps.

Very steep and/or long ramps with no resting landings.

PLANNING PRINCIPLE

To provide ramps wherever stairs obstruct the free passage of pedestrians, mainly wheelchair
users and people with mobility problems.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

General

An exterior location is preferred for ramps. Indoor ramps are not recommended because they
take up a great deal of space.

Ideally, the entrance to a ramp should be immediately adjacent to the stairs.

Ramp configuration 

Ramps can have one of the following configurations:

(a) Straight run

(b) 90 turn

(c) Switch back or 180 turn

Width

Width varies according to use, configuration and slope.

The minimum width should be 0.90 m.

Slope

The maximum recommended slope of ramps is 1:20. Steeper slopes may be allowed in
special cases depending on the length to be covered

 Landings

Ramps should be provided with landings for resting, maneuvering and avoiding excessive speed.

Landings should be provided every 10.00 m, at every change of direction and at the top and
bottom of every ramp.

The landing should have a minimum length of 1.20 m and a minimum width equal to that of the
ramp

3.5 Handrail

A protective handrail at least 0.40 m high must be placed along the full length of ramps.

For ramps more than 3.00 m wide, an intermediate handrail could be installed (fig. 5).

The distance between handrails when both sides are used for gripping should be between
0.90 m and 1.40 m
R.A . 9514
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9514

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE FIRE CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES, REPEALING

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1185 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008”.

SECTION 2. It is the policy of the State to ensure public safety, promote economic development
through the prevention and suppression of all kinds, of destructive fires, and promote the
professionalization of the fire service as a profession. Towards this end, the State shall enforce all
laws, rules and regulations to ensure adherence to standard fire prevention and safety measures,
and promote accountability in the fire protection and prevention service.

What is a Fire Extinguisher?

Fire extinguisher refers to equipment or a device that can be used to combat a fire. Fire brigade
individuals mainly use fire extinguishers to counter a variety of fires. However, these devices can be
used by anyone with little training or a guide. According to fire concepts, fire usually spreads due to
the simultaneous presence of fuel, heat sources, and air. Therefore, when we are fighting a fire, we
need to remove any of these three resources. The purpose of a fire extinguisher is to cut such
resources to overcome the fire.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

Depending on usage or classes, fire extinguishers are quite different. Each type can be identified by
their names, colors, signs, or even their nozzles/hoses.

o Water Extinguisher

two types:

Water Spray Fire Extinguishers: These fire extinguishers usually have the word 'water' or
'aqua' written on them in white color. They are the basic type of water extinguishers that
dispense water at high pressure. These fire extinguishers are only used for Class A fires. 

Water Mist Extinguishers: These fire extinguishers can be used for almost every type of fire,
even with Class F fires that are very difficult to counter. This makes water mist the most
useful among other fire extinguishers, reducing more than one type of extinguishing needs
on the premises.
 o Powder Extinguisher

Powder extinguishers are designed for multi-purpose use. Depending on the type of powder
fire extinguishers, we can use them against Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class
E fires.

o Foam Extinguisher

These fire extinguishers are primarily used for Class A and Class B fires, especially for fires
caused by solids and liquids.

o Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguisher

Carbon dioxide extinguishers are mainly used to counter Class B fires and electrical fires.
CO2 gas works by suffocating a fire and does not harm electrical objects or cause a short
circuit in the system.

o Wet Chemical Extinguisher

These fire extinguishers are designed to combat Class F fire types. They are efficient
because they are designed for notably high-temperature fires, especially due to fats and
cooking oils.

Classes of Fire

Different types of fire extinguishers are used to combat specific types of fire. Therefore, before we
learn about different fire extinguishing types, we must understand different fire types. 

Class A: Fire caused due to combustible carbon-based materials, such as wood, paper, plastic,
textiles, etc.

Class B: Fire caused due to flammable liquids, such as petrol, diesel, paint, paraffin, oils (other than
cooking oils), etc.

Class C: Fire caused due to flammable gases, such as butane, methane, propane, etc.

Class D: Fire caused due to burning metals, such as lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium,
titanium, etc.

Class E: Fire caused due to electrical equipment or sources (this class is typically a separate class in
most countries and only referred to by an electric spark symbol instead of the letter 'E').
Class F: Fires caused due to cooking oils and fats, especially those used in deep-fat fryers. For
example, olive oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oils, butter, etc.