NBI seen to break record in clearance center rental

At a rate of P200,000 a day or P1 million a week, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to break the record for the most expensive lease in the country’s history for its new criminal record clearance center.

Located on the upper three floors of the six-story Carriedo Plaza building at Carriedo and Estero Cegado streets in the crowded and crime-prone Sta. Cruz district in Manila, the fully furnished site will be inaugurated Wednesday.

The NBI says that not a single centavo was spent by government in putting up the new clearance center.

The owner of Carriedo Plaza, however, after having spent for the refurbishing and the furniture and fixtures, gets to collect P20 from each applicant.

The NBI has an average 10,000 applicants for clearance daily, which translates to P200,000 daily income for the building owner or P4 million a month.

According to an NBI statement issued over the weekend, the clearance center will be "air-conditioned with comfortable waiting halls with TV sets and will protect people from the heat of the sun, rain, pollution and other elements."

The site was reportedly opened "in response to the need for a better place in securing NBI clearances."

Applicants used to line up for hours on NBI headquarters grounds, giving the Taft Avenue compound the appearance of a marketplace during peak season. The clearances are required for employment purposes.

The transfer came despite an Aug. 15, 2003 memorandum from then Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong stating that the new site should be "free from traffic congestion, with ample parking spaces for the applicants and employees, not densely populated and would not pose security problems."

The memorandum was issued apparently in response to NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco’s "request for authority to enter into a contract with a private entity" for the relocation.

According to the same DOJ letter, a certification should first be secured with the Department of Public Works and Highways showing that there is no available government property for use and, in case a private lease is necessary, that the contract agreement be presented to the DOJ for review.

The DOJ also required that the site be "solely or exclusively for the use of the Bureau and no other tenant should occupy any part of the building premises." It is not known if the memorandum is still in effect or has been revised as Datumanong has since resigned from the DOJ to seek public office.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza recently revived the Carriedo area, which is now being developed into a shopping center and promenade, prompting many erstwhile abandoned buildings in the area to renovate.

It could not be immediately ascertained what the management of Carriedo Plaza building would do with its lower three floors.

The schedule for seeking clearances in Carriedo will follow the old one from Mondays through Saturdays at the NBI headquarters.