I remember in the 70’s, the Senate and House of Representatives are both housed at then Congress building, now the National Museum in P. Burgos, Manila. Working relationships among legislators and passing of urgent bills were excellent, also because of its proximity to Malacañang. However, the Lower house transferred to Batasan during martial law days while the resurrected Senate after the EDSA revolution rented six floors and parking lot of the GSIS building in Roxas Blvd. for P127M a year.
Looking back also in 2000, then Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., proposed the construction of a new Senate Building in government owned Batasan Hills, Quezon city. Then it would only entail a total budget of P41.163M However, the project was discontinued because other senators have a different preference and stayed at GSIS.
It was in 2017 when senators issued Resolution 293 creating an ad hoc committee to conduct a feasibility study for a new Senate building, the result of which is a four tower with eleven story each at the Bonifacio Global city.
This new structure, originally funded for P8.9B has now ballooned to P23.3B as confirmed in a recent hearing by former DPWH assistant secretary Antonio Molano jr. Details revealed that the P8.9B was only for the core and shell of the building, P2.5B for the fit-out and to complete the project P10.3B while land acquisition from BCDA was pegged at P1.6B. However, these are cost estimates based on year 2021 or three years ago, so if you update it as of today, it will be higher. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano says the total cost could reach from P26B to P29B, if the prices do not change and he wants the DPWH to finalize the total cost.
From the way I see it, considering its huge costs, this is not a working legislative building, it is a magnificent and lavish palace for 24 “public servants” elected and tasked by the people to serve their urgent public needs. A luxurious palace that will compete aesthetically to the other luxury buildings in the expensive BGC. It will have a helipad and each of the eleven storied four towers will have entrances, plazas, and a landscaped area strategically placed between and with a minimum of 1,200 parking spaces. Formal gathering places like the Session Hall and Committee Rooms will be very grandiose so as other first-class amenities such as gym, museum, library, auditorium, and a food court. Given the huge budget on broadcasting systems, every senator will probably have their own broadcast studios.
In the hearings it was discovered that landscaping alone would cost P663.2 M while installation of broadcasting systems is pegged at P577M. Certainly, these are big and juicy contracts now up for grabs and worth influencing. And for the mistakes and delays of 852 days committed by the DPWH in this project, we are paying the contractors P78.9M. And how about the cost of its yearly maintenance? Have they revealed it yet or are keeping it under wraps?
Neophyte Senator-actor Robin Padilla has an interesting reminder to his colleagues, “Section 1, Art 11 of the 1987 Constitution states that public office is a public trust”, and public officers and employees must always remain accountable to the people”. “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”. Aptly said, because this new palace is indeed tarnishing the credibility of the entire Senate.
So, my countrymen, from a P41.16M new Senate building supposedly built in Batasan Hills QC around 2000, we, taxpayers, will now shell out P29B for this very luxurious new palace of 24 honorable senators when they transfer in 2026. Senate president Chiz Escudero called this cost, both shocking and in bad taste. Yes Sir, 114 million Filipinos agree with you.