'Most expensive parking building in the world'

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City Hall II parking building is overpriced by up to 300 percent and could be the most expensive parking building in the world, according to the lawyers who filed a plunder complaint against Vice President Jejomar Binay and Mayor Junjun Binay.

Testifying at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Atty. Renato Bondal claimed that the carpark building was overpriced at P2.7 billion, an amount that includes fixtures and furniture.

"Lumalabas po na ang pinagmamalaking Makati parking building ang pinakamahal na parking building sa buong mundo," Bondal said.

Bondal claimed that the controversial building had an average cost per square meter of P84,000.

"Tatlong daang porsyento ang naging bukol ng taong bayan ng Makati. Dagdag pa po diyan, karamihan po sa ginamit na pera sa pagapapatayo sa building na 'yan ay galing sa utang," Bondal said.

"Dalawang bilyon ang bukol at kinita ng mga Binay sa building na ito," he added.

Bondal said the building has 11 floors, 31,928 square meters, five parking floors, five office floors and a basement.

He also compared the Makati parking building to other buildings in the city, such as the P2-billion, 46-storey Shang Grand Tower that only had an average cost per square meter of P40,000.

The Binays had repeatedly denied that the building was overpriced.