Robinhood seeks separate probe on new Senate building

MANILA, Philippines — After a tense exchange between two senators over the construction of the New Senate Building, Sen. Robinhood Padilla is seeking an investigation into the issues surrounding the increased costs in the construction of the NSB.

Padilla filed Senate Resolution 1063 on Thursday directing his Senate committee on public information and mass media to handle the investigation in aid of legislation.

“Informing the public of the processes undertaken in the construction of the NSB, including the increased costs, is necessary to ensure that the public does not lose its trust in the Senate as an institution,” Padilla said. “There is a need to let the public know of the partner contractors, if any, and subcontractors of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.”

Padilla noted that Senate President Francis Escudero had ordered Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, as chairman of the committee on accounts, to review the cost of the NSB, as it had reportedly increased to P23 billion from an initial P8.9 billion.

The committee on accounts, in its public hearing last July 3, reported that the current total cost of the project is P23.38 billion, of which P8.9 billion is for the core and shell; P2.5 billion for the fit-out; P1.6 billion for land acquisition and P10.33 billion for works to complete.

Padilla was present during the Senate hearing on the NSB last Wednesday, when Cayetano and Sen. Nancy Binay had a tense exchange.Padilla described it as an indication of a healthy democracy.

“Let’s be happy and have these conversations because it means that there is no conspiracy happening and we, you know, are only planning for ourselves. When the Senate is like this, be happy because it means democracy is alive, their narrative is alive and they have the freedom to say what they want to say. That’s the reason why you elected us. We are not here to agree and connive with one another,” he said before Cayetano suspended the hearing last Wednesday.

Padilla noted Article XI, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution states that “public office is a public trust” and public officers and employees must at all times remain “accountable to the people.”

“Being part of one of the main branches of the government, it is incumbent upon the Senate to set the example of transparency and accountability not only to the entire bureaucracy but, more importantly, to the Filipino people,” he added.

Meanwhile, former senator Panfilo Lacson said the heated exchange between Cayetano and Binay during the Senate public hearing last Wednesday “was painful to watch, to say the least.”

“While a century-old dream for the Philippine Senate to finally have its own home, one that is iconic, secure, functional and green is about to come to fruition, it is sad that it is now perceived, rightly or wrongly, as another symbol of government abuse of public funds,” noted Lacson, the former chairman of the Senate committee on accounts, who first supervised the construction of the NSB.

When Lacson’s term as senator ended in 2022, Binay assumed his post and supervised the NSB construction for 15 months, until she was replaced by Cayetano when the Senate leadership changed to Escudero from Juan Miguel Zubiri last May 22.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian suggested that “maybe it’s better to talk as a body so that the senators can be briefed if something is missing, then the DPWH will be summoned to answer the details.”

“Because it’s the body that approves it, it’s important as a body that we also talk, it’s important that the senators understand that they approve it every year,” he said.

In the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) presentation, the Senate building construction has P8.9 billion for the core and shell, which would cover civil works worth P3.090 billion; architectural, P2.881 billion; electrical, lighting, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection, P2.095 billion with variations of P833 million.

For the fit-out, the building construction has P2.5 billion, which would cover architectural, P1.452 billion; electrical and lighting, P466.4 million; and mechanical, plumbing and fire protection worth P267.636 million with variations of P124.745 million.

While it has not been approved, the DPWH said the government is poised to shell out P10.330 billion to complete the building, which would cover a design fee of P383.700 million; architectural, P3.100 billion; electrical and lighting, P881 million; and mechanical, plumbing and fire protection, P716.2 million.

Still in the planning stage is the new Senate building facade, designed to cost P1.616 billion, and landscaping worth P663.2 million.

Under the special works, the Senate building would have security systems worth P875.582 million; a broadcast system, P577.515 million; IT systems, P766.591 million; safety and building management, P294.344 million; furniture, fixtures and equipment, P381.787 million; and management and consultation, P75 million.