Yes, thats why buildings there take that into account, as well as typhoons of course. Its a very difficult place as far as building requirements, everything in nature just wants to destroy the works of man.
They are great users of reinforced concrete, and have been since reinforced concrete was invented, many of the early examples of that can be found in the Phils., they have been quite high tech that way.
Rebar is really useful and gets stuck into hollow block construction. Roofs are light materials. Steel frames are common.
Poor people live in homes built of light materials. The downside of that is vulnerability to typhoons and fires.
To add - what kills buildings there -
- Extreme humidity grows mold, rusts rebar and cracks concrete.
- Waterlogged soil cracks concrete pads, shifts foundations.
- Anay (super-termites) are hell on anything wooden and even chew through adobe (light volcanic rock).
Typhoons on Luzon at least (less frequent down south) can be expected 5-10 times a year - thats like having 5-10 hurricanes through Florida every year. The peak year as per Wiki was 1993 - 19 typhoons passed through the Philippines that year.