Binay: Delay to inflate cost of new Senate office

Senator Nancy Binay —Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Why speak out only now?

Sen. Nancy Binay has turned the tables on Senate President Francis Escudero, reminding him that he was a member of the chamber when senators decided in 2019 to initially set aside P8.9 billion to build their new home in Taguig City.

“Actually, I was also surprised by where Escudero was getting his information [from] with regard [to] the new Senate building,” Binay said in response to the former’s remarks on Monday that he was “shocked” upon learning that the project cost had gone up to P23.3 billion.

READ: Lacson: New Senate building budget hike due to security, land acquisition

“Had Escudero and I talked, I could have given him clear and factual information instead of him relying on rumormongers,” she added.

Binay also rued Escudero’s decision to stop work on the building, but said she understood that the Senate President “meant well in reviewing the budget” to bring down the construction cost.

“But I hope they speed up the review. We want to avoid any unnecessary expense brought by the delay,” she said, adding that there was “a sense of urgency to complete the construction by 2025.”

The delay, she explained, would result in “cost adjustments, additional charges, penalties and another round of rental” for the Senate.

“The Senate cannot afford any setback because each day of delay has cost implications,” Binay said.

Excessive price tag

Escudero, who took over recently as Senate President through a coup he hatched against Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, said that he found the price tag for the new Senate building “too excessive” but clarified that he found nothing questionable about the project.

He added that from the original budget of P8.9 billion, an additional P10.3 billion, on top of the initial allocation of P13 billion, was needed to complete the construction of the 11-story, four-tower structure.

Escudero said the supposed rising cost prompted him to suspend the release of funds and all construction work for the new Senate headquarters.

He also said that he had directed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who was pilloried for spending P50 million on a cauldron when the Philippines hosted the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, to make the project cost-effective.

But Binay, who took over supervision of the project when she succeeded former Sen. Panfilo Lacson as Senate accounts committee chair in 2022, pointed out that Escudero was among the senators who had approved the spending plan for the proposed Senate headquarters during the 17th Congress.

She said that, in fact, Lacson had clarified during a plenary session in February 2019 that the initial outlay was only meant for the “core and shell” of the edifice and not its interior finishings.

“Sadly, if [Escudero] had the time to ask and inquire about the construction developments, he should have been enlightened, and he could have given inputs and suggestions [on] how to save money and to prevent delays in the transfer of the Senate,” Binay added.

Escudero, who was known to leave the Senate floor after his attendance during their plenary session was recorded, had admitted that he has yet to personally visit the building being constructed inside a former military camp.

Call or text away

“If there are questions and some clarifications—or things that need to be verified or validated, or to check if some information are indeed factual or simply intended to sow misinformation and spread falsehoods—I am just a call or text away,” Binay said.

“During my watch as chair of the committee on accounts, we have sent official invitations to all senators for ocular inspections and one-on-one briefings about the progress, status, timelines and other matters with regard to the [project],” she added.

She also rejected Escudero’s claim that the multi-story building did not have enough parking spaces for its visitors and employees.

A simple check of the construction plan would show that the structure was designed to have three-level basement parking, according to her.

“[The claim that] the building has no parking area is ‘fake news,’” Binay said.