The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance implementing and enforcing the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9266 or the Architecture Act of 2004 and its implementing rules and regulations and providing penalties for violations.
City legislators stated that local governments recognizes the importance of architects in nation building and development, thus, it shall develop and nurture competence, virtues, productive and well-rounded professional architects whose standards of practice and service shall be excellent, qualitative, world class and globally competitive through inviolable, honest, effective and credible licensure examinations and through regulatory measures, programs and activities that foster their professional growth and development.
Further, any architectural plan, design, drawing, schedule, specification, estimate and other contract documents duly signed, stamped or sealed, as instruments of service, are the intellectual property and documents of the architect, whether the object for which they are made is executed or not.
The Council stipulated that the proposed measure covers all architectural plans, designs, specifications, drawings, schedules, specifications, estimates and architectural documents relative to the construction of buildings, whether government or private undertakings, and such the same shall bear the seal and signature only of an architect registered and licensed under RA 9266 together with his or her professional identification card number and the date of its expiration.
Under the proposed ordinance, it shall be unlawful for any person who is not a registered and licensed architect to sign architectural documents; it shall also be unlawful for any architect to sign his or her name, affix his or her seal, or use any other method of signature on documents made under another architect’s supervision, unless the same is made in such manner as to clearly indicate the part or parts of such work actually performed by him or her and it shall be unlawful for any person to duplicate or to make copies of architectural documents for use in the repetition of and for other projects and buildings whether executed partly or in whole without the written consent of the architect or author of the same.
The Council claimed that any person found violating any provisions of the ordinance shall be guilty of misdemeanour and shall be meted with a fine of not less than P3,000 but not more than P5,000.
According to the Council, the fines that will be imposed against erring individuals shall accrue to the general fund of the local government.
Pursuant to the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003 and its implementing rules and regulations, a Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) observer shall be appointed for procurement procedures involving architectural infrastructure works or architectural consulting services.
The proposed ordinance was referred to the appropriate committee for study and ecommendation whether or not the same will be passed on second and third readings. By Dexter A. See