PRBoA

MYTHS and FACTS

About the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines

04 December 2007 UAP-IAPOA Balangkasan Bulacan Province, Region III

by the

Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture (PRBoA)

Archt. Armando N. ALL, fuap, aaif

Chairman, PRBoA (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 01. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Any Law are of a higher legal status (???) if compared to a Republic Act (R.A.) i.e. a statute.

FACT No. 01. The

IRR of Any Law can

never be superior to
a Republic Act (R.A.).
Laws do not Operate in Isolation but in Full Interaction with Other Laws that are in Place. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 02. Civil Engineers (CEs) are

allowed by law (???) to prepare, sign and seal architectural (???) plans, designs, drawings (the A sheets of building plans), specifications and documents.

FACT No. 02. To date, there is NO valid and

subsisting (or effective) Philippine law which states that Civil Engineers can legally prepare, sign and seal architectural plans (the A sheets of building plans submitted for building permit application), designs, drawings, specifications and documents.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 03. Section 302 of the 1977 National Building Code of the Phils. (NBCP) allows (???) Civil Engineers to prepare, sign and seal architectural (???) plans, designs, drawings, specifications and documents. FACT No. 03. There is absolutely nothing in the
authentic Section 302 of the 1977 National Building Code of the Phils. (NBCP), which states that Civil Engineers can prepare, sign and seal architectural plans, designs, drawings, specifications and docs.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 04. R.A. No. 1582 of 1956, that amended

R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law) states (???) that Civil Engineers can prepare, sign and seal architectural (???) plans, designs, drawings (the A sheets of building plans), specifications and documents for buildings (???).

FACT No. 04. There is absolutely nothing in R.A.

No. 1582 of 1956, that amended R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law), which states that Civil Engineers can prepare, sign and seal architectural plans, designs, drawings (the A sheets of building plans), specifications and documents for buildings.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 05. The term plans, specifications xxx

appearing in Sec. 2, Article I of R.A. No. 1582 of 1956, that amended R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law) means exactly (???) the same thing (???) as architectural plans, designs, drawings (the A sheets of building permit application documents), specifications & documents.

FACT No. 05. The term plans, specifications xxx

appearing in Sec. 2, Article I of R.A. No. 1582 of 1956, that amended R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law), does not and can never mean the same thing as architectural plans, designs, drawings, specifications & documents, as defined under the IRR of R.A. No. 9266.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 06. The 24 May 2005 writ of

preliminary injunction (the injunction) issued by the Manila RTC Branch 22 applies to (???) R.A. No. 9266 (The Architecture Act of 2004).

FACT No. 06. The 24 May 2005 writ of preliminary

injunction (the injunction) issued by the Manila RTC Branch 22 applies only to Sections 302.3 and 302.4 of the 2004 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree or P.D. No. 1096). The injunction does NOT apply to R.A. No. 9266 (The Architecture Act of 2004), its IRR and its derivative regulations approved by the PRC.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 07. The 24 May 2005 writ of preliminary injunction (the injunction) sought by the PICE and issued by the Manila RTC Branch 22 applies to the entire (???) 2004 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR, effective 01 May 2005) of the 1977 National Building Code of the Phils. (Presidential Decree or P.D. No. 1096).
FACT No. 07. The 24 May 2005 writ of preliminary injunction (the
injunction) sought by the PICE and issued by the Manila RTC Branch 22 applies only to Sections 302.3 and 302.4 of the 2004 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of the 1977 National Building Code of the Phils. (Presidential Decree or P.D. No. 1096). The injunction does NOT apply to the rest of the 2004 R-IRR of P.D. No. 1096, which remain in full effect since 01 May 2005.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 08. R.A. No. 1582 of 1956, that amended

R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law) has a set of Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR???).

FACT No. 08. Neither R.A. No. 1582 of 1956, that

amended R.A. No. 544 of 1950 (The Civil Engineering Law) have a set of Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) that define the terms building or building plans and specifications. In
contrast, R.A. No. 9266 has a set of IRR that have been in effect since 01 Dec 2004. Also, the predecessor architecture laws (R.A. Nos. 1581/545 had IRRs that date back to 1979.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 09. Secs. 302.3 and 302.4 of the 2004

Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree or P.D. No. 1096) governs architectural practice(???) in the Philippines.

FACT No. 09. Only R.A. No. 9266 (The

Architecture of 2004, effective 10 April 2004), its
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR, effective 01 Dec 2004) and its derivative regulations approved by the PRC (and in effect since the 1970s), govern the practice of the regulated profession of architecture in the Philippines. The PRBoA and the PRC implement R.A. No. 9266, not the DPWH.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 10. The term building is associated (???) with the profession of Civil Engineering.
FACT No. 10. The term building is universally/
internationally associated with architects and the profession of architecture (as shown by countless standard dictionary definitions). The term building is generally defined as a structure for human habitation, as also defined in the IRR of R.A. No. 9266.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

MYTH No. 11. The Civil Engineers registration certificate and PRC license (or renewable ID card) allow them to practice the two (2) professions (???) of civil engineering and architecture (???). FACT No. 11. The Civil Engineers registration
certificate and PRC license (or ID card) only allow them to practice the profession of civil engineering, which does NOT include the preparation, signing and sealing of architectural plans, designs, drawings, (the A sheets), specifications and documents.
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PRBoA

MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 12. The Civil Engineer is the prime (???) professional for building plans/designs.
FACT No. 12. The architectural planning and design of
buildings is a very complex undertaking for which the Architect has trained long and hard (in school, during apprenticeship and under the Architecture licensure examination (ALE) which is all about the general plan/design of buildings and their environs. In contrast, the Civil
Engineer (CE) only studied the structural design of buildings, have NO apprenticeship in the planning and design of buildings and were NEVER subjected to state-administered licensure examination/s for the architectural planning and design

of buildings and environs. The Architect is the prime professional for the

overall planning and design of buildings because all engineering plans/designs must follow or be guided by the evolved architectural plan/design. The CE may take charge of the construction aspects of the project.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 13. The Structural and Civil Engineering plans/ designs are the primary (???) plans/ designs for a building. FACT No. 13. The evolved architectural plan/ design is the primary plan/ design for any building. All engineering plans, specifically the structural plan prepared by Civil Engineers, must conform to (or be guided by) the evolved/ approved architectural plan/ design.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 14. Civil Engineers can plan and design buildings in exactly the same (???) way that Architects can.
FACT No. 14. Civil Engineers are trained to make the
building stand (structurally) and to economize in its construction (getting the best for less). Civil Engineers are NOT academically/ sub-professionally trained nor examined by the state to prepare architectural plans, designs, drawings, specifications and documents. For this, the Civil Engineers have relied entirely on entities that have had some training/ experience in architecture i.e. architecture students/ graduates, ALE/Board flunkers, RLAs and similar entities.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 15. The Civil Engineers also have some training (???) in architecture. FACT No. 15. Civil Engineers do NOT have a single
unit of architecture in their curriculum. In contrast, the Architects have five (5) full years and anywhere between 90 to 120 academic units of architecture to their credit and at least 9 units of structural design. Architects must also finish two (2) full years of apprenticeship/ diversified training before they can be allowed to take the architecture licensure examinations (ALE). In contrast, the Civil Engineers do NOT have
a mandatory apprenticeship period before taking their Board exams.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 16. When they took their Board examinations, the Civil Engineers were tested (???) by the PRC for the architectural planning and design of buildings and their environs (???). FACT No. 16. In their Board exams, the Civil Engineers
were NEVER tested for the architectural plan and design preparation of buildings and their environs. In stark

contrast, 40% of the architecture licensure examinations (ALE) is all about the architectural planning and design of buildings and their environs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 17. Architectural Plans, Designs, Drawings (the A sheets), Specifications and Documents can be labeled as Civil Engineering (CE) Documents (???) and approved as such.
FACT No. 17.
Architectural plans, designs and drawings (the A sheets of the building permit application documents), particularly the perspectives, ceiling plans, architectural details and the like, cannot be (and are not) classified, packaged, accepted nor approved as Civil Engineering (CE) Documents because the architectural documents are the primary bases for all of the derivative engineering plans (including civil/ structural plans).
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 18. Civil Engineers are the most capable professionals (???) for reviewing the architectural plans and designs of buildings.
FACT No. 18. The Civil Engineers lack of
training/ experience in and aptitude for architecture makes them a less than ideal choice for reviewing architectural plans and designs of buildings or of inspecting architectural works/components of buildings for LGUs, a task that rightfully belongs only to Registered and Licensed Architects (RLAs), as clearly provided for under R.A. No. 9266.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 19. Civil Engineering has been around

for thousands of years and predates (???) or came before (???) architecture.

FACT No. 19. Architecture was already being practiced many thousands of years before civil engineering became a recognized or distinct profession. The terms civil engineering and civil
engineer came into widespread use only about 160 - 170 years ago. The terms architect and architecture

have been in use for many thousands of years.

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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 20. Architecture is a branch

(???) of Civil Engineering (???).

FACT No. 20. Architecture is a distinct branch of knowledge (both an art and a science) and is NOT a branch of any recognized profession. It is one of the seven (7) original arts and the only one that dealt with buildings and structures during the antiquities. The term architect comes from arkitekton, an ancient Greek word meaning master builder.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

MYTH No. 21. The 24 May 2005 injunction

applies to (???) R.A. No. 9266.

FACT No. 21. To date, there is NO temporary
restraining order (TRO), NO writ of preliminary injunction (injunction) and NO question on the constitutionality of ANY provision of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9266 (in effect since 10 April 2004), its Implementing Rules and Regulations or IRR (in effect since 01 Dec 2004) and its derivative regulations approved by the PRC (in effect since the 1970s).
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

FACT No. 22. Civil

Engineers (CEs) are the regulated professionals primarily responsible for the proliferation of billboards. The CEs plan and design billboard frames. The CEs approved their construction (in their capacity as Building Officials). The CEs are also
involved in the erection of billboards, when they act as constructors/ erectors.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

FACT No. 23. The

Civil Engineers (CEs) acting as Building Officials need to focus on the stricter and more faithful implementation/ enforcement of the 1997 National Building Code of the Philippines (P.D. No. 1096) and its 2004 Revised IRR , particularly the architectural sections on building occupancies, light and ventilation.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines

by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

FACT No. 24. Civil

Engineers (CEs) can and must do much more for the improvement of our road rights-ofway (RROWs) and legal easements, for our drainage and flood control, for our waste management, for water supply, for transportation, for traffic management and for all other basic
infrastructure & services that we all need.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person

PRBoA

FACT No. 25. Based on the 15 September 2007 instructions from Senator AquilinoQ.Pimentel, Jr., the father of both R.A. 7160 (The Local Government Code of the Philippines) and of R.A. No. 9266 (The Architecture Act of 2004), the Architects must now SUE the Government (national and local) and all other violators to properly implement/ enforce R.A. No. 9266, its IRR and its derivative regulations. The PRBoA is now assisting the Architects in this regard.
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MYTHS and FACTS about the Practices of the Regulated Professions of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Philippines
by The PRBoA Chairman, Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)

PRBoA

Thank You
and a Pleasant Evening to You All!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How R.A. No. 9266, its IRR and Derivative Regulations Affect the Practice of Architecture by The PRBoA (Archt. Armando N. ALLI, fuap, aaif, (Resource Person)