‘New Senate home may cost P29 billion’

MANILA, Philippines — The cost of the construction of the new Senate building could soar to as much as P29 billion, higher than the P23 billion that prompted Senate President Francis Escudero to suspend the project, according to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

During the continuation yesterday of the public hearing of the Senate committee on accounts, panel chair Cayetano estimated the cost of construction of the new building to go higher than P23 billion.

“If it doesn’t change, maybe P26 billion to P29 billion. We are still checking their basis, all of these were from the previous chairperson,” he said, referring to Sen. Nancy Binay.

Meanwhile, Binay expressed openness to reconcile with Cayetano after she filed an ethics complaint against her political rival for his language when he called her a rumormonger or “marites” during the new Senate building review.

“I will follow the process that will be set by the chairperson of the ethics committee,” Binay said, referring to Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, who said he would be more than willing to set reconciliatory talks between the two.

“If he thinks we should talk things through first in a mediation, then I will comply with that process,” Binay added.

Cayetano’s committee initiated a review of the construction work on the new Senate building in Taguig City due to the “shocking and in bad taste” additional cost of P23 billion.

During the first hearing, Cayetano and his predecessor, Binay, had a heated exchange that led to Binay filing an ethics complaint against Cayetano.

Binay, however, expressed confidence that Tolentino will be fair and act on her ethics complaint against Cayetano.

Binay welcomed Cayetano’s statement that he could also file an ethics complaint against her for allegedly spreading rumors about him in media interviews.

Binay said she would be more than willing to answer Cayetano’s counter-complaint.

“I will go through the process. I am sure Sen. Tolentino, a lawyer, is fair, and he knows the judicial process when it comes to an ethics complaint,” Binay said.

During yesterday’s hearing, Cayetano said that the cost could be between P25 billion and P27 billion, “that is assuming that there will be no more changes.”

He noted that the pending review of the detailed architectural and engineering design could also entail additional costs.

Jose Manuel Aguinaldo, previous project manager III of the Department of Public Works and Highway, said the cost could reach up to P25 billion to P27 billion, including the cost of land and the inflationary cost. — Cecille Suerte Felipe