CHAPTER 1-3, PALA DOC

PALA Document 201

The technical standard governing Pre-Planning and Pre-Design Services.

PALA Document 202

The technical standard governing Regular Landscape Architecture Design Services.

PALA Document 203

The technical standard governing Specialized Landscape Design and Allied Services.

PALA Document 204

The technical standard governing Landscape Construction Management Services.

PALA Document 205

The technical standard governing Post-Construction Services.

PALA Document 206

The technical standard governing Project Management Services.

PALA Document 207

The technical standard governing Design-and-Build Engagements.

Republic Act 9053

Otherwise known as the Landscape Architecture Act of 2000, which along with its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), provides the legal framework for the profession in the Philippines.

Economic Feasibility Studies

Studies performed to determine the viability of a Project by assessing its cost of development vis-à-vis its potential returns to the Client.

Visual Resources (VR) Inventory and Assessment

A study that itemizes and assesses a site’s visual resources in relation to the intended development, often as part of environmental baseline studies.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A study that determines and predicts both negative and positive impacts a Project may have on the environment and prescribes mitigating measures.

Interest on Late Payment

The Landscape Architect is entitled to interest at the prevailing BSP rate plus $2\%$ per annum on fees not paid within $30$ days of billing receipt.

Instruments of Service

Drawings, specifications, and other documents submitted by the Landscape Architect which remain their property and must bear their prescribed seal and signature.

Schematic / Conceptual Design Phase

The initial phase of design services that establishes the theme, concept, and recommended solution, typically including a general narrative and Statement of Probable Cost of Construction.

Design Development Phase

The phase involving the preparation of plans, elevations, and outline specifications to fix the size, quality, and character of materials and structures.

Contract Documents Phase

The phase that prepares bid-ready documents, including complete Plans, Construction Drawings, Technical Specifications, and detailed Cost Estimates.

Construction Phase

This phase includes the bidding period and the construction period, where the Landscape Architect monitors progress and recommends Certificates of Payment.

Design-Build by Administration

An arrangement where costs for labor and materials are paid directly by the Client, and the Landscape Architect's estimate is guaranteed only within a $10\%$ range of variance.

Design-Build on a Guaranteed Maximum Cost

An arrangement where the Landscape Architect guarantees the maximum cost; savings are divided equally, and the Landscape Architect assumes costs exceeding the guaranteed amount by more than $10\%$.

Approved Agency Estimate (AAE)

The total estimated cost of a Project as established by design, used as a benchmark for evaluating bids.

Bill of Quantities (BOQ)

A spreadsheet itemizing various work items with corresponding costs, usually separated into hardscape and softscape categories.

Conflict of Interest

A situation of anti-trust where opposing interests make impartial judgment impossible, such as a landscape designer also acting as the supplier of planting materials.

Dummy

A person who allows their name and signature to be used to abet the illegal practice of a profession without owning controlling shares.

Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)

An approval issued by the DENR allowing a proponent to proceed with development, often requiring an Environmental Guarantee Fund.

Quantum Merit

A provision entitling a consultant to compensation for work actually accomplished up to the point of suspension or termination of an agreement.

Republic Act No. 9184

Commonly known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, it provides for the modernization and standardization of government procurement activities.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

The upper limit or ceiling for bid prices in government procurement; bids exceeding this ceiling are disqualified outright.

Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)

The committee responsible for advertising, evaluating bids, and recommending contract awards in the government procurement process.

Multiple of Direct Personnel Expenses

A compensation method computed by multiplying the cost of technical services by a multiplier ranging from $2.0$ to $3.0$ to cover overhead and profit.

G-EPS

The Government Electronic Procurement System, which serves as the primary source of information on all government procurement.

Republic Act No. 9053

The official legislative name for the Philippine Landscape Architecture Act of 2000, which regulates the practice of landscape architecture in the Philippines.

Scope of the Practice of Landscape Architecture

The act of planning, designing, specifying, supervising, and giving general administration to the functional, orderly, and aesthetic arrangement of natural scenery and land areas for human use and enjoyment.

Landscape Architect

A natural person qualified to practice Landscape Architecture who holds a valid certificate of registration/professional license and a valid professional identification card issued by the Board and the PRC.

Board of Landscape Architecture

The regulatory body under the administrative control of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) composed of a Chairperson and two ($2$) members appointed by the President of the Philippines.

Qualifications of Board Members (Age)

An appointee must be at least thirty-five ($35$) years of age at the time of appointment.

Qualifications of Board Members (Experience)

A member must be a registered Landscape Architect and an active practitioner for not less than ten ($10$) years prior to appointment.

Term of Office (Board)

Members hold office for a term of three ($3$) years and may be re-appointed for one ($1$) full term of three ($3$) years.

PRC Modernization Act of 2000

The law that governs the compensation received by the Chairperson and members of the Board of Landscape Architecture.

Board Examination Subjects

Covers Design and Planning; Ecology and Nature Conservation; Technology and Materials; Planting Design and Interior Plantscaping; Professional Practice and Ethics; and History and Theory of Design.

Passing Rating

A weighted general average of seventy percent ($70\%$), with no grades lower than sixty percent ($60\%$) in any given subject.

Removal Examination Rule

An examinee failing a subject below sixty percent ($60\%$) must retake it within two ($2$) years; failing after two ($2\text{ attempts}$) requires taking the entire Board examination again.

Timeframe for Rating Report

The Board must submit candidate ratings to the Commission within fifteen ($15$) days after the examination.

Seal and Use of Seal

A licensed Landscape Architect must affix an approved seal on all plans, drawings, and specifications prepared by or under their direct supervision.

Mandatory Seal Cost Threshold

A landscape plan must be prepared, signed, and sealed by a licensed Landscape Architect for approval if the construction cost is more than Three hundred fifty thousand pesos ($P350,000.00$).

Instruments of Service

Drawings and specifications signed, stamped, or sealed are property and documents of the Landscape Architect, whether the project is executed or not.

Registration without Examination (60 units)

Available to those who had taken at least sixty ($60$) academic units of Landscape Architecture and practiced for ten ($10$) years prior to the Act's effectivity.

Registration without Examination (Related Fields)

Available to architects or environmental planners who have practiced Landscape Architecture for ten ($10$) years prior to the effectivity of the Act.

Partnership Membership Ratio

Eighty percent ($80\%$) of the members of a partnership, association, or corporation must be registered/licensed Landscape Architects.

Foreign Reciprocity

The provision that foreign Landscape Architects can only practice in the Philippines if their country permits Filipino professionals to practice on the same basis.

Special/Temporary Permits

Required for foreign nationals performing professional services as consultants in foreign-funded or joint venture projects, subject to Board and DOLE approval.

Illegal Practice Fine

A fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos ($P50,000.00$) nor more than Two hundred thousand pesos ($P200,000.00$).

Illegal Practice Imprisonment

Not less than six ($6$) months nor more than three ($3$) years, or both at the court's discretion.

Approval Date

Republic Act No. 9053 was approved on March 30, 2001.

Professional

One who intervenes in societal processes depending on their field of specialization, carries responsibilities and accountabilities, and practices a field reflective of individual inclinations.

Philippine Association of Landscape Architects (PALA)

The accredited professional organization in the Philippines, established in 1977, which represents the Landscape Architecture profession and is a member of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA).

Presidential Decree 223

The decree that created the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on June 22, 1973.

Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Composition

Headed by a 3-man Commission consisting of one full-time Commissioner (9-year term), one full-time Associate Commissioner (6-year term), and one full-time Associate Commissioner (3-year term).

Letter of Instruction No. 1000

Issued on March 20, 1980, it provides the rationale for the support, recognition, and prioritization of members of PRC-accredited professional organizations in hiring and engagement of services.

Civil Code Article 1723

States that an engineer or architect is liable for damages if a building collapses within fifteen (15) years from completion due to defects in plans, specifications, or the ground.

Statute of Limitations for Article 1723

Legal action for a building collapse must be brought within ten (10) years following the event.

Schematic Design Phase

The first phase of regular services where the architect ascertains project requirements, prepares schematic studies for a recommended solution, and submits a probable construction cost.

Design Development Phase

The phase involving the preparation of plans, elevations, and outline specifications to illustrate the size and character of the project.

Contract Documents Phase

The phase where complete construction drawings, specifications, and bidding documents are prepared, and five sets are furnished for bidding.

Technical Specifications

A written document providing information for proper construction or procurement that cannot be placed in the drawings, covering scope of work, materials, installation, and workmanship quality.

Performance Specification

A type of specification that defines the required results or output, such as the minimum cubic feet of air a fan must move per minute.

Brand Name Specification

Specifies a product by model number and manufacturer, often followed by the phrase "or an equal approved by the architect."

Closed Specification

A single-product specification where only a specific brand and model are accepted, with no substitutes allowed.

Reference Specification

A specification that requires a product to conform to established standards, such as "Federal Specification W-F-207 c."

Dummy Activity

A scheduling element in PERT-CPM that represents no work, involving zero duration and cost, used only as a dependency connector or sequence indicator.

Critical Path

The longest path in time through a network; any delay in activities along this path will increase the total project duration.

Float/Slack

The leeway that can be used without adverse effect on the project, calculated as $EF - ES$ or $LF - LS$.

Early Start (ES)

The earliest point in time that an activity can start, provided all preceding activities have been finished.

RA 7160

The Local Government Code of 1991, which lists various officials including the Planning & Development Coordinator, Engineer, and Architect.

RA 7279 (Lina Law)

The Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, which mandates basic facilities for socialized housing such as potable water, power, sewerage, and access to primary roads.