QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 116)
EO No. 116, dated January 28, 1968, was issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos by virtue of the powers vested by law. Its purpose is to create an Advisory Committee to advise on the design and construction of fallout shelters to mitigate radiation hazards from nuclear war or accidental nuclear explosions.
It is an advisory committee composed of specific officials and sector representatives. It has a Chairman (Director, Bureau of Public Works), a Member-Secretary (Representative of the National Civil Defense Administration), and members from national planning, professional associations of engineers and architects, contractors and structural engineers, the AFP Corps of Engineers, and a civil defense representative.
The Chairman is the Director, Bureau of Public Works.
A Representative of the National Civil Defense Administration acts as the Member-Secretary.
Examples of members include: (1) Commissioner, National Planning Commission; (2) President, Philippine Association of Civil Engineers; (3) President, Philippine Contractors Association; (4) President, Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines; (5) President, Philippine Institute of Architects; (6) President, League of Philippine Architects; (7) Chief, Corps of Engineers, AFP.
The Committee must evaluate the fallout shelter potential of existing structures in the country and recommend which existing buildings could serve as emergency fallout shelters after due evaluation.
It may propose modifications for radiation protection while avoiding unnecessary alteration of the buildings’ normal function and appearance.
It must provide effective communication regarding shelter design and construction between the National Civil Defense Administration and the member entities named in the EO.
It must recommend methods of stimulating shelter construction by developing plans and designs with little or no increase in cost, without adversely affecting the building’s appearance or intended use.
The Committee must communicate approved technical information conducive to shelter construction to architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners.
EO No. 116 provides that all evaluations, designs, reports, advice, and recommendations must be submitted from time to time to the President of the Philippines through the Civil Defense Administrator.
The Chairman is authorized to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government for assistance needed to accomplish the Committee’s tasks.
Based on its title and wording, it is primarily advisory: it creates an Advisory Committee tasked to evaluate, recommend, and communicate technical information. The EO itself focuses on advisory functions rather than imposing direct binding construction mandates.
The EO states it was issued 'by virtue of the powers vested in me by law,' meaning the President is acting under delegated or existing legal authority to create administrative bodies.
It emphasizes that professional and school levels of architects and engineers must account for new design elements involving nuclear radiation in building design and construction.
It underscores the need for construction of fallout shelters through the united efforts of the government and private sectors, reflected in the inclusion of engineering and architectural associations and contractors organizations.