By Arjay L. Balinbin
MAJORITY of Senators (14) agreed to the recommendation of Senator Richard J. Gordon during the plenary session on Tuesday, Nov. 21, that the Philippine Senate headquarters, currently located at the GSIS Complex in Pasay City, be relocated to Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.
Out of 16 senators who were present at the session, 14 voted “yes,” including opposition Senator Franklin M. Drilon, while two of his fellow oppositionists, Senators Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel and Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, voted “no.”
In his sponsorship speech for the relocation of the Senate, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr. said: “Since the assumption of this representation as the Chairman of the Committee on Accounts in this present Congress, one of the very first things that struck me was the staggering costs of lease being paid by the government over the years in renting the Senate building and its parking lot. Truth be told, this was our top agenda when I calendared the first organizational meeting of the Committee on Accounts on 6 September 2016.”
Mr. Lacson explained that the “Senate has been renting the use of its building from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the use of parking lot from the Social Security System (SSS)…in Pasay City since 1996.”
“Upon checking the figures, we found out that from May 1, 1996 to December 31, 2017, the total amount of office rental fees paid to GSIS and SSS have reached P2.24 billion. Suffice it to say…that for over 20 years, the cost of our lease payments have probably become enough to construct an iconic, permanent Senate building,” Mr. Lacson said.
The Senator also mentioned that the Senate has two options for the relocation, either in Antipolo or Taguig.
“Through its Mayor, the Honorable Casimiro A. Ynares III, the local government of Antipolo City has expressed its willingness to donate to the Senate of the Philippines 25 hectares of land located along the Marikina Infanta Road, Barangay San Jose/Inarawan as a possible site of the new Senate complex,” Mr. Lacson said.
“Since Antipolo City is offering 25 hectares of land for free, this means that there will be no land acquisition cost on the part of the Senate. Selecting Antipolo City shall however consider the cost of land development estimated at P4,000 per square meter on a flat clear terrain,” Mr. Lacson also said.
The second option, which is in Taguig, “is situated in a 20,000-square-meter or two-hectare parcel of land owned by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) located at the former Navy Village, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The agreement being proposed by the BCDA is in the nature of an Option Contract,” Mr. Lacson explained.
“The consideration for the Option to Purchase is P100,000, and the period within which to exercise such option would be one year from the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). We will work out that this requirement be waived to avoid a possible issue with the COA rules and regulations as well as the Government Procurement Act,” Mr. Lacson said.
The Senator added that “With the property being valued at P90,000 per square meter, the total cost of acquiring the 20,000-square-meter property being offered by the BCDA will be P1.8 billion, which would be payable in 10, possibly more years.”
