Construction statistics presented in this Special release are based on the approved building permits on new constructions, additions, and alterations and repairs of existing residential and non-residential buildings, and other structures which are proposed to be constructed in different cities/municipalities of the region. Construction statistics from approved building permits aim to provide administrative data on building constructions at the regional level Statistics generated include the number of units/buildings, floor area of the buildings, types of construction, and value of construction.
 

Baguio City has highest number of constructions

The number of constructions from approved building permits in the Cordillera region in 2023 reached 1,658 with a total floor area of 438,783 square meters. These constructions were valued at PhP 6.5 billion (Table 1).

By city/province, Baguio City had the highest number of constructions with a total of 440 covering a floor area of 148.9 thousand square meters. These accounted for 26.5% of the total number of approved building permits in the region.

It was followed by the province Apayao with 348 approved building permits accounting 21.0% of the total building construction in the region. These had a total floor area of 38.8 thousand square meters.

The province of Kalinga followed with 333 approved constructions with a floor area of 121.4 thousand square meters. The constructions correspond to 20.1% of the total number of constructions in the region in 2023.

Meanwhile, Benguet province had 290 number of constructions with approved building permits and a total floor area of 83.6 thousand square meters. Abra had 101 building constructions for 2023 with 14.4 thousand square meters floor area. Ifugao and Mountain Province had 83 (20.5 thousand square meters floor area) and 63 (11.1 thousand square meters floor area) building constructions, respectively.

Baguio City building constructions valued at 2.1 billion pesos

In terms of the value of construction, Baguio City recorded the greatest value of PhP 2.1 billion which was equivalent to 32.78% of the total regional value of construction in the Cordillera region in 2023.  The province of Kalinga comes next with a total value of PhP 2.0 billion which corresponded to 30.8% of the total regional value of construction (Table 1).

The province of Benguet ranked third with a total value of PhP 1.1 billion. The constructions in the province accounted for 18.2% of the total regional value of constructions in 2023.  

Meanwhile, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Abra had the least value of constructions with PhP 225.3 thousand, PhP 196.7 thousand, and PhP 112.5 thousand, respectively.

Table 1. Number of Constructions, Value and Floor Area by City/Province, 
CAR: 2023

Baguio City records the highest number of residential type of constructions

By city/province, the number of residential type of building construction was highest in Baguio City with 324 units of approved building permits with a total floor area of 110.0 thousand square meters with total value of PhP 1.5 billion (Table 2).

The province of Apayao followed with 246 approved building permits and a floor area of 17.5 thousand square meters. These constructions were valued at PhP 219.9 million.

Benguet province ranked third with 241 units of approved building permits with total floor area of 62.4 thousand square meter and valued at PhP 853.0 million. It was trailed by the province of Kalinga with 232 approved building permits with total floor area of 47.7 thousand square meters and valued at PhP 561.6 million.

Meanwhile, Mountain Province, Abra, and Ifugao had the least number of buildings approved for construction with 52 (2.8 thousand square meters floor area), 29 (7.4 thousand square meters floor area), and 28 (6.7 thousand square meters), respectively. These constructions had a combined value PhP 165.0 million.

On the average, the value of per square meter of residential building constructions in the Cordillera was PhP12.8 thousand.

Table 2. Residential Construction by City/Province CAR: 2023

In terms of the value of residential type of construction per square meter of floor area covered by province, Benguet had the highest value at Php 13.7 thousand, followed by Baguio City which was valued at PhP 13.4 thousand per square meter.

The province of Apayao had a value of PhP 12.1 thousand per square meter. The value of constructions per square meter in the provinces of Kalinga and Ifugao were close at PhP 11.8 thousand and PhP 11.3 thousand, respectively. Meanwhile, the provinces with the least value per square meter of floor area were Abra and Mountain Province with PhP 8.7 thousand and PhP 8.4 thousand, respectively.

Apayao has highest number of non-residential type of construction

In 2023, the Cordillera region recorded a total of 370 approved building permits for non-residential type of construction. These projects had a total floor area of 170.9 thousand square meters and were valued at PhP 2.9 billion (Table 3).

By province/city, the highest number of approved building permits for non-residential type of construction was the province of Apayao with 87 units covering a total of 20.6 thousand. square meters. These buildings had a value of 422.7 million.

The province of Kalinga came second with a total of 86 approved building permits with a floor area of 65.6 thousand square meters. The value of constructions amounted to PhP 1.3 billion.

The province of Ifugao and Baguio City both ranked third on the highest number of non-residential constructions in the region with 55 approved building permits. Non-residential buildings in Baguio City covered a total of 36.1 thousand square meters and were valued at PhP 491.1 million.

 Meanwhile, non-residential buildings in Ifugao had a total floor area of 13.8 thousand square meters. These constructions were valued at PhP 119.9 million.  

The province with the least number of non-residential construction in 2023 was Mountain province with only 9 units of buildings approved for construction and covered floor area of 8.2 thousand square meters. These had a total value of PhP 184 million.

Table 3. Non-Residential Construction by City/Province CAR: 2023

Abra has the highest number of approved building permits for addition

In 2023, there were 32 approved building permits for addition or any new construction which increases the height or area of an existing building/structure in the Cordillera region. These had a total floor area of 12.2 thousand square meters and were valued at PhP 123.4 million (Table 4).

The province of Abra had the highest number of approved permits for addition with 10 units and covered an area of 425 square meters. These had a value of PhP 3.1 million. Baguio City followed with 9 units that covered 2.7 thousand square meters floor area and were valued at PhP 41.0 million. However, in terms of the value of construction for addition, the province of Kalinga was the highest with PhP 60.2 million. There were 5 approved permits for addition in the province covering an area of 8.1 thousand square meters.

Meanwhile, there no proposed additions in the provinces of Ifugao and Mountain Province.

Table 4. Approved Permits for Addition by Province, CAR: 2023 

The Cordillera region recorded a total of 104 approved building permits for alteration and repair or changes in the materials used, partitioning and location/size of openings, structural parts of existing utilities. These had a total regional value of PhP 198.9 million.

Baguio City had the highest number of constructions for alteration and repair with 52 units and a total value of PhP126.6 million. It was followed by Abra with 22 units and a value of PhP 1.6 million and Apayao with 12 units valued at PhP 7.7 million.

Meanwhile, there were no proposed alterations and repairs in the province of Ifugao in 2023.

Table 5. Approved Permits for Alteration and Repair by Province, CAR: 2023

(SGD)
VILLAFE P. ALIBUYOG
Regional Director

Technical Notes

Building permit is a written authorization granted by the LBO to an applicant allowing him to proceed with the construction of a specific project after plans, specifications, and other pertinent documents have been found to be in conformity with the National Building Code (PD 1096).
Building refers to any independent, free-standing structure comprised of one or more rooms or other spaces, covered by a roof and enclosed with external walls or dividing walls, which extend from the foundation to the roof.

Construction refers to all on-site work done from site preparation, excavation, foundation, assembly of all the components and installation of utilities, machineries, and equipment of buildings/structures.

Residential building is a building for which its major parts or more than half of its gross floor area is built for dwelling purposes. This type of building can be of the single type, duplex, apartment and/or accessoria, and residential condominium.

Single house is a complete structure intended for a single family or household, i.e., bungalow, 2-storey house, nipa hut, etc.

Duplex house is a structure intended for two households, with complete living facilities for each; it is a single structure divided into two dwelling units by a wall extending from the floor to the ceiling.
Apartment is a structure, usually of two storeys, made up of independent living quarters, with independent entrances from internal walls and courts.

Accesoria is a one or two-floor structure divided into several dwelling units, each dwelling unit having its own separate entrance from the outside.

Residential condominium is a structure, usually of several storeys, consisting of multiple dwelling units.

Other residential construction consists of school or company staff houses, living quarters for drivers and maids, and guardhouses.

Non-residential building includes commercial, industrial, agricultural, and institutional buildings.
Commercial buildings refer to office buildings and all buildings which are intended for use primarily in wholesale, retail, and service trades; i.e., stores, hotels, restaurants, banks, disco houses, etc.
Industrial buildings are buildings used to house the production, assembly, and warehousing activities of industrial establishments; i.e., factories, plants, mills, repair shops, machine shops, printing press, storage plants, electric generating plants.

Institutional buildings are buildings which primarily engaged in providing educational instructions and hospital/health care; ports, airports and other government buildings; i.e., schools, museums, libraries, sanitaria, churches, hospitals.

Agricultural buildings are buildings used to house livestock, plants, and agricultural products such as barns, poultry houses, piggeries, stables, greenhouses, and grain mills.

Other non-building constructions include cemetery structures, street furniture, waiting sheds, communication towers, etc.

Addition refers to any new construction which increases the height or area of an existing building/structure.

Repair is a remedial work done on any damaged or deteriorated portion/s of a building/structure to restore its original condition.

Renovation is any physical change made on structures to increase their value and quality.
Alteration is a construction in a building/structure involving changes in the materials used, partitioning and location/size of openings, structural parts, existing utilities, and equipment but does not increase the overall area thereof.

Conversion is a change in the use or occupancy of structure or any portion thereof, which has different requirements.

Demolitions refer to the systematic dismantling or destruction of a building/structure, in whole or in part.

Street furniture are street structures consisting of monuments, waiting sheds, benches, plant boxes, lampposts, electric poles, and telephone poles.

Floor area of building refers to the sum of the area of each floor of the building measured to the outer surface of the outer walls including the area of lobbies, cellars, elevator shafts, and all communal spaces in multi-dwellings. Areas of balconies are excluded.
Total value of construction refers to the sum of the cost of building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and others. The value is derived from the approved building permit and represents the estimated value of the building or structure when completed.