Binay's transfer to new office stalled

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay will not be able to use the Coconut Palace as his office this month. The board of the Government Service Insurance System has not yet approved the contract and, besides, it is booked for weddings until March.

Binay’s media relations officer Joey Salgado said floor plans for the office still have to be made.

The Coconut Palace, also known as the Tahanang Pilipino, was built by former first lady Imelda Marcos in 1978. Marcos offered it as a temporary shelter for the late Pope John Paul II during his visit in 1981 in the country, but he declined the offer.

The octagon-shaped Coconut Palace is made of several types of Philippine hardwood, coconut shells, and a specially engineered coconut lumber known as Imelda Madera.

The roof is shaped like a traditional Filipino salakot or hat. Installed inside is a chandelier made of 101coconut shells and a dining table made of 40,000 pieces of inlaid coconut shells.

Among the foreign personalities who stayed in the mansion during the Marcos regime are Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, and Hollywood actors Brooke Shields and George Hamilton.