PARRYING criticism over senators’ plan to construct a new multi-story Senate building in the Fort Bonifacio area, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday lawmakers are “very conscious” about its cost.
“If you look at the terms of reference, what we budgeted is for P50,000 per square meter which is the current cost to put up one building in Fort Bonifacio, where the high-end ones can cost up to P80,000 per square meter.”
He added that a “regular government building could cost up to “45,000 per square meter so a P50,000 budget per square meter is within the range of reasonableness.”
“Now, what is important here is to ensure that the materials to be used will not be overpriced.”
In an interview, Gatchalian told reporters the Senate opted to finally carry out plans to move out of their existing offices at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Complex in Pasay city where they are paying “close to P250 million per year.”
“So, if you add the cost of rent paid in 10 years, we could have built our own building,” he said, adding: “But up to now, we are still renting and cannot renovate and invest in a bigger building because we are just renting.”
Gatchalian pointed out that “if you look at the economics, in ten years, given the same amount we paid rent to GSIS, we could have built a new building; so it makes economic sense to put up and invest in our own building.”
On top of that, he said the land being sold to the Senate by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), costs P90,000 per square meter inside Fort Bonifacio, and “in any recent land sale at the Fort, it does not go down to P350,000 per square meter — almost an 80% discount is what we got from BCDA which translates to big savings for us to own the lot in Fort Bonifacio.”
“Now, why transfer to The Fort? If you look at the area where the proposed Senate building will be, it is near the airport, and we know that during budget hearings, the entire Philippine bureaucracy goes to the Senate to defend their annual budget allocations….They stay around the Manila area, Pasay area, Paranaque area where there are many hotels and cheap lodgings that are also near the airport.”
Gatchalian explained that the plan to relocate the Senate was “actually not new.”
“As early as 2011, senators were already discussing the plan. So the assurance of the Senate now is that “hindi magiging maluho, hindi magiging overpriced at sisiguraduhin nating reasonable ang magiging gastusin,” he said.
Gatchalian added that many government agencies are also relocating to the area, citing as examples the Supreme Court and Energy Regulatory Commission.