Laws For University
Laws For University
Laws For University
1. Educational occupancies shall include all buildings used for the gathering of
groups of six (6) or more persons for purposes of instruction, such as
schools, universities, colleges, and academies.
B. Occupant Load
1. Every room or space with a capacity of fty (50) or more persons or over
ninety-three square meters (93 m2) in area shall have at least two (2)
doorways as remote from each other as practicable. Such doorways
shall provide access to separate exits; but where egress is through
corridors, they shall open upon a common corridor leading to separate
exits in opposite directions.
2. Not less than two (2) separate exits shall be provided on every storey and
accessible from every part of every storey and mezzanine.
F.Access to Exits
2. Any corridor shall be not less than one and eighty-three hundredths meters
(1.83 m) wide in the clear.
3. Doors which swing into an exit access corridor shall be recessed to prevent
interference with corridor traffic; any doors not so recessed shall open
the one hundred eighty degrees (180 ̊) to stop against the wall. Doors
in any position shall not reduce the required corridor width by more
than a half.
2. The oors of balconies (exterior corridors) and stairs shall be solid, without
openings, and shall comply with requirements for outside stairs as
regards balustrades or railings, width and pitch of stairs, and other
details, but are not required to be shielded from re within the building
by blank walls, wired glass windows or the like where the stairs are
located on the side of balcony or corridor away from the building and
are separated from the building by the full width of the balcony or
corridor.
H. Exit Arrangement
1. Exits shall be so arranged that at least two (2) separate exits will be
available from every floor area. Exits shall be as remote from each
other as practicable, so arranged that there will be no pockets or dead
ends in which occupants may be trapped, and in no case shall any
dead-end corridor extend more than six meters (6 m) beyond the
stairway or other means of exit therefrom.
I. Types of ExitsExits of the specified number and width shall be of one (1) or more
of the following types, in accordance with the provisions of Division 5 of this
Chapter.
M. All educational buildings shall have signs designating the location of exits or
the path of travel to reach them, in accordance with Section 10.2.5.12 of this
RIRR.
N. It can readily be opened from the inside without the use of tools.
P. The bottom of window opening is not more than eight hundred twenty
millimeters (820 mm) above the door; and
Q. Where storm windows, screens, or anti-burglar devices are used, these shall
be provided with quick opening mechanism so that they may be readily
opened from the inside for emergency egress, and shall be so arranged that
when opened they will not drop to the ground.
S. Interior Corridors
1. Every interior corridor shall be of construction having not less than a half-
hour (1/2-hr) re resistance rating, and all openings therein protected
accordingly. Room doors may be forty-four millimeters (44 mm) solid
bonded core wood doors or the equivalent. Such corridor protection
shall not be required when all classrooms served by such corridors
have at least one door directly to the outside or to an exterior balcony
or corridor as in Section 10.2.9.2 of this RIRR.
2. Any interior corridor more than ninety-one meters (91 m) in length shall be
divided into sections not to exceed ninety-one meters (91 m) in length
by smoke partitions installed in accordance with Section 10.2.6.3 of this
RIRR.
T.Interior Finish Interior finish shall be Class A in corridors, stairways and other
means of egress, and may be Class B or Class C elsewhere, in accordance
with the provisions of Section 10.2.6.4 of this RIRR.
Y. Elevators
AA. Electrical Wiring and Equipment Electrical wiring and equipment shall be in
accordance with provisions of the latest edition of PEC, and all cooking,
heating, incinerating and other building services equipment shall be installed
in accordance with Division 7 of this Chapter.
4. Smoke Partition. For purposes of this Section, smoke partitions shall also
include floors and openings therein, in accordance with Section
10.2.6.3 of this RIRR.
5. Room. For the purpose of this Section, a room is a space or area bounded
by an obstruction to egress which at any time enclose more than eighty
percent (80%) of the perimeter of the space or area. Openings of less
than two meters (2 m) high shall not be considered in computing the
unobstructed perimeter.
General Provisions
C. The specific requirements of this Section are not intended to prevent the
design or use of other systems, equipment or techniques, which will
effectively prevent the products of combustion from breaching the
atmospheric separation.
D. The provisions of this Subsection shall apply only to the requirements for
providing separate atmosphere. The re resistance requirements shall comply
with other provisions of this Chapter.
E. Means of Egress
1. Each room occupied by more than three hundred (300) persons shall
have one (1) of its exit access doors through a separate means of
egress. Where three (3) or more means of egress are required, not
more than two (2) of them shall enter into the same means of egress.
G. Interior Finish Interior finish in flexible plan and open-plan buildings shall be
as follows:
H. Variable Plans
1. Any flexible plan building or open plan building in which the travel
distance to exits exceeds forty-six meters (46 m) shall have approved,
supervised sprinkler systems in accordance with Section 10.2.6.7 of
this RIRR. Such systems shall be electrically interconnected with the
school re alarm system.
The provisions of Section 10.2.19.10 of this RIRR shall apply to Underground and
Windowless Educational Buildings and such buildings shall be provided completely
with automatic re suppression system.
CC. Dormitory and Classroom Any building used for both classroom and
dormitory purposes shall comply with the applicable provisions of Division 14
of this Chapter in addition to complying with Division 9 of this Chapter. Where
Classroom and dormitory sections are not subject to simultaneous occupancy,
the same exit capacity may serve both sections.
GG. Exits
HH. Interior Finish In existing educational buildings which have interior finish that
do not comply with the requirements for new buildings, the provisions of
Section 10.2.6.4 of this RIRR shall be acceptable as alternate requirements.
II.Fire Alarm Systems Requirements for Fire Alarm System for existing educational
buildings shall conform to those required for new educational buildings, in
accordance with para “D” of Section 10.2.9.5 of this RIRR.
B.P. 344
2.1 Architectural facilities and features:
2.1.1 A – Stairs
2.1.2 B – Walkways
2.1.3 C – Corridors
2.1.4 D – Doors and Entrance
2.1.5 E – Washrooms and Toilets
2.1.6 F – Lifts/Elevator
2.1.7 G – Ramps
2.1.8 H – Parking Areas
2.1.9 I – Switches, Controls, Buzzers
2.1.10 J – Handrails
2.1.11 K – Thresholds
2.1.12 L – Floor Finishes
2.1.13 M – Drinking Fountains
2.1.14 N – Public Telephones
2.1.15 O – Seating Accommodations
5.1 Group C
5.1.1 Educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities, vocational schools,
seminaries and novitiates), including school auditoriums, gymnasia, reviewing
stands, little theaters and concert halls. Barrier-free facilities and features required in:
A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, and O.
5.1.2 Libraries, museums, exhibition halls and art galleries Barrier-free facilities and
features required in: A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, and O.
Building Height Limit: 15.00 meters (or must follow duly–approved BHL in the
major zone it is part of)
Private Colleges and Universities: One (1) car slot for every three (3) classrooms;
one (1) off-RROW (or off-street) passenger loading space that can accommodate
two (2) queued jeepney/shuttle slots; and one (1) school bus slot for every one
hundred (100) students
Facilities
1 “Private schools should own adequate sites for their own buildings, for physical
education and athletics, military training and recreation . . .” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.7)
2 “In meritorious cases, a school may be allowed to lease its premises; however, a
grace period may be allowed by the Department such that the private school
concerned shall have: (1) acquired its own school site within five (5) years from the
date of filing of the application for permit to operate; and (2) constructed school
buildings/facilities on said school site within ten (10) years from the said filing of the
application for permit to operate.” (DO 11-2011, 3b, amending DO 88-2010, Sec.
30.7)
3 “should be free from noise, unpleasant odors and dust, and should be sufficiently
far from cockpits, dancing halls, bowling alleys, movie houses, markets, garbage
dumps, funeral parlors, cemeteries, heavy traffic highway, jails, railroad yards, and
manufacturing and industrial establishments” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.7)
4 “The government recognition of a school which is transferred to another location is
deemed cancelled” except when the new site and buildings “are found to be much
better than the former, and if all other standards have been satisfactorily maintained”
(DO 88-2010, Sec. 37)
5 “Unless exempted by the Secretary, each private school shall own its site, or shall
have a definite and feasible program for ultimate ownership thereof with a
reasonable period, which should be adequate and suitable for the buildings and
activities of the school.” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 160)
6 “Each private school shall likewise own its buildings, unless otherwise exempted
for special reasons by the Secretary.” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 163)
8 School library of adequate quality, considering the educational levels and coverage
and representativeness of coverage, and quantity, based on the enrolment size (DO
88-2010, Sec. 166) Reference and supplementary reading materials, including
encyclopedia, dictionaries, fiction and nonfiction books, almanacs, atlas, etc.;
subscription to periodicals; adequate number of professional books; audio-visual
equipment and materials; an initial collection of 4,000 for enrolment of 500 or less
(DO 88-2010, Sec. 170b)
1 APEC has been allowed to lease instead of own its school sites, in which some
teachers have described the classrooms as “crammed,” “congested,” “poorly
ventilated” and insufficient for physical education and laboratoryoriented classes
(Riep, 2015, p. 32). The DepEd-APEC MOA (2013) allows APEC to “secure facilities
by means of lease contracts with a minimum 3-year term” (Sec. 3.2.2).
1 It also intends to lease other facilities depending on use: “Sports and arts facilities:
schools would be in close proximity to community facilities, fields and art centers that
can be leased for extra-curricular activities” (MOU by DepEd et al., 2013, Appendix
A, p. 5). As stated in the MOU by DepEd et al. (2013): “The determination by the
DepEd of the adequacy of school facilities of APEC Schools shall be based solely on
the APEC Model . . . and shall be on an examination of the school facilities as a
whole. Hence, individual components of the APEC Model relevant to facility
adequacy shall not, by themselves, be considered grounds to declare the facilities of
an APEC School inadequate, provided that the APEC School complies with the
APEC Model and Health and Safety standards in determining adequacy of school
facilities.” (Sec. 2.2.1)
2 “APEC has been given special permission to rent commercial property, with no
plans for ultimate ownership” (Riep, 2015, p. 31). As stated: “DepEd Central Office
shall allow APEC SCHOOL to lease its school sites and buildings, without need for
an ----- plan of owning the same, provided that the school sites and buildings are
adequate and suitable for education purposes in accordance with the AP Model and
the lease term for the school site is at least three (3) years.” (DepEd-APEC MOA,
2013, Sec. 4.1.3)
3 The model described in the DepEd-APEC MOA (2013, Annex A) says that APEC
will comply with the school location requirements (p. 1). The provision in DO 88-2010
does not prohibit locating in buildings used for other purposes, but the schools have
been placed in the upper levels of commercial buildings, with the lower levels
occupied by businesses such as banks and auto repair shops (Riep, 2015, p. 32).
3 Looking at APEC’s photos of its school sites (APEC, 2016c), at least 10 may be
clearly identified as being situated in upper level of buildings, or 1/3 of the sites.
Some of these buildings are also along main thoroughfares. According to a former
teacher (personal communication, October 17, 2016), noise from other building
occupants and from the street sometimes harm students’ and teachers’
concentration.
7 There are no science laboratories (Riep, 2015, p. 32; Aquino 2016, “Leased
spaces”, para. 2). The MOU by DepEd et al. (2013, Appendix A, p. 4) refers to
“mobile lab equipment: portable kits of science and math equipment to facilitate
interactive learning . . . shared across a cluster of schools in an area.” A former
teacher (personal communication, October 17, 2016) noted that there were some
supplies in their site, but the equipment, like a microscope, was brought to the site
when needed.
8 Libraries, if existent, are not fully stocked (Riep, 2015, pp. 32, 35). A digital library
is used, as opposed to a physical library, but no specifications or detailed
requirements in terms of quantity, type and content are given in the MOU by DepEd
et al. (2013, Appendix A, p. 5; DepEd-APEC MOA, 2013, Annex A, p. 3). The
checklist of the APEC model simply said that APEC will “provide materials necessary
for the program” and “provide list of digital content listings” (DepEd-APEC MOA,
2013, Annex A, p. 3). A former teacher (personal communication, October 17, 2016)
mentioned that in their site, no such digital library was available, and the use of the
electronic devices for research was not feasible given the inadequate internet
infrastructure. At times, teachers have to bring their own reference materials for
students’ use.
9 The services of the school librarian are also shared: “assign a School Librarian to
manage the digital library for all AP Schools” (DepEd-APEC MOA, 2013, Annex A, p.
2). However, a former APEC teacher (personal communication, October 17, 2016)
noted that, in their site, they were not aware that the APEC system has a librarian.
1 The agreement between APEC and DepEd did not indicate minimum standards for
the leased spaces and it is unclear whether the leased spaces will have to conform
to the DepEd minimum standards for private schools (that apply when the school site
is owned; see Section C of this document, pages 7-8). A former APEC teacher
(personal communication, October 17, 2016) has noted how old office spaces are
not appropriate for use as a classroom.
2 APEC being allowed to lease without plans to own the site is clearly a concession
or favor that has been afforded to it by DepEd.
5 The phrase “unless exempted by the Secretary” allowed for the waiver now in
effect with APEC.
8 It appears that students are not ensured access to other study materials or
references in the school.
2 “Situated far from traffic, neighbors and fire hazards” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9a)
3 Equipped with safety devices and built for prompt and safe evacuation in case of
fire, typhoon or earthquake (DO 88- 2010, Sec. 30.9b-c)
4 “Provided with satisfactory toilet facilities, separate for students and faculty by
gender” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9d)
5 “Adequately and properly lighted and ventilated” (DO 88- 2010, Sec. 30.9e)
6 “Contains sufficient space, furniture and fixtures for the general needs of the
administrative staff, faculty and students” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9f) “Accessible and
suitable administrative office, faculty rooms and library” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9h)
“Adequate space for student/personnel services” (DO 88- 2010, Sec. 30.9i)
7 “Sufficient space for Home Economics and other vocational courses” (DO 88-2010,
Sec. 30.9j)
8 “The doors of the classrooms and laboratory rooms lead or open towards the
corridors” (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9k)
9 For buildings of 2 or more storeys, there must be at least 2 stairs of minimum width
of 2 meters and provision for students with special needs (DO 88-2010, Sec. 30.9l)
1 Given that some campuses have three to four office rooms converted into
classrooms (Riep, 2015, p. 32), it may be safe to assume that they do not meet the
area requirements. A former teacher (personal communication, October 17, 2016)
also noted how the limited area of their school site did not allow for sufficient
movement or exercise by students during breaks. APEC’s compliance checklist
(DepEd-APEC MOA, 2013, Annex A, p. 1) sets a “target ratio [of] 1sqm per student.”
2 The AP Model described in the DepEd-APEC MOA (2013, Annex A) states that it
“will comply” with the requirement for the “location of school in relation to the
environment” (p. 1). (Also see Item B.3 above)
5 Teachers have been quoted as saying that conditions in the classrooms have been
“unbearable,” with overcrowding and poor ventilation. To further cut costs, the rooms
in some sites have fans, instead of air-conditioning (Riep, 2015, p. 32).
6 In a site Riep visited for his study, the administrative and faculty offices occupied
the same room, making the space “constrained and not really suitable” for their
intended purpose (personal communication, September 29, 2016). (Also see Items
B.8 and C.1 above)
7 Subject to need, this space will also be leased (DepEd-APEC MOA, 2013, Annex
A, p. 2).
9 In the sites observed, mostly with the classrooms in the upper levels of buildings,
accessibility is limited. No provisions for students with disabilities are visible (Riep,
personal communication, September 29, 2016).
1 It can be assumed that the 1 sqm requirement applies to the classroom space
allocated for each student, as also required by the National Building Code.
Complying with only this requirement means that not only the ownership requirement
was waived but also the site area requirement. If the area requirement were to be
followed, having 50 or fewer students and 0.5 ha translates into a space of 100
sqm/student; and having 1,000 students and 1 ha space means 10 sqm/student.
7 APEC does not offer vocation courses, but space will still be required for Home
Economics classes.