00:00Exclusively on GMA Integrated News, the new Senate building is being built.
00:06The construction was halted due to the budget overflow.
00:11Phase 1 is only 77% completed,
00:15even though the 2022 target is to finish the construction.
00:19In the words of Ian Cruz.
00:25The newly built house that will serve as the new office of the Senate is almost complete.
00:29It is located in Navy Village, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.
00:32It has four towers and is built on a land that is more than 18,000 square meters.
00:38Yesterday, Senate President Chief Escudero halted the construction
00:42after learning that the project is worth 23 billion pesos,
00:47almost three times the original budget of almost 9 billion pesos.
00:52When we entered the building together with DPWH officials,
00:57we saw that the work is still going on.
00:59They haven't received a letter from the Senate to halt the construction.
01:04When we received a letter coming from Senator Cayetano,
01:10he told us to slow down and stop the work.
01:14We stopped because they have control.
01:22We are here at the North Tower.
01:25This will serve as the helipad of the Senators,
01:27even though the new office of the Senate is already functional.
01:31We can see the West Tower on the other side of the building.
01:35On this side, that is the South Tower.
01:39On the other side, that is the East Tower.
01:43From the air, we can see an area where the four towers will meet.
01:49This is the Garden Deck.
01:50This floor interconnects all the towers.
01:55We can see the 9th to 11th floors of the towers.
02:00This is where the offices of the Senators will be.
02:03In the middle of the Garden Deck,
02:05there are tempered glasses that will serve as skylights
02:08because the plenary of the Senators will be under this.
02:11The plenary will be on the 3rd to 7th floor under the Garden Deck.
02:16This is still being done.
02:17We were also shown the possible offices of the Senators
02:21that are not yet partitioned.
02:24In the new Senate building,
02:25there will be more space for the Senators
02:28and their rentals in the current GSIS building will be stopped.
02:33When the Senate's plenary project was launched in 2017,
02:37the Senate Committee on Accounts Chairman Senator Ping Lakson said
02:41that the Senate should have its own house
02:44like the so-called parliamentary buildings in other countries.
02:48These buildings are known globally not only for their architectural brilliance
02:52but also for their just representation of the dignity of the parliaments that they house.
02:58Something which all of us in this August Chamber will surely agree
03:03is also fitting for the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.
03:08But according to Escudero,
03:11Isn't it a bit embarrassing for your taste
03:13to see such a big value for a government building?
03:17Maybe it's equivalent to the expensive and luxurious buildings
03:20that we can see in Makati and BGC.
03:24He is comparing the value of the house
03:26that has reached P23 billion.
03:29According to the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH,
03:3277% of the building of the new Senate building or Phase 1 is finished.
03:37It's worth P8.6 billion
03:40including glass windows, several elevators, and more.
03:44It has Phase 2 for tile ceiling works,
03:47and other elevators, generator sets, fire protection, and escalators
03:51with an additional expense of P2.375 billion.
03:56It's worth 18%.
03:59In Phase 3, it will be installed with lights,
04:01fittings for bathrooms and bathrooms,
04:03partitions, cooling system,
04:05and other things that are lacking in the house.
04:07It's worth P5.7 billion.
04:10But it hasn't been decided yet.
04:13The total sum of Phase 1, 2, and 3 is P16.675 billion.
04:19Everything is a true process.
04:22All of the submission of our documents and approval
04:27is with the pre-approval coming from the Senate.
04:32Phase 4 can still be held for the consideration of the security of the Senators.
04:36Nothing has been given yet for this.
04:39From the plenary, we also went through the approval
04:41that it is possible for it to be an office for employees.
04:44On the ground floor, the auditorium is still being fixed.
04:47The parking space for the 1,200 vehicles is in the three-floor basement.
04:53There are three years of contract for the construction of the house
04:56that was supposed to be completed in 2022.
04:59But a lot of plans were made,
05:01including the ongoing pandemic,
05:03so the project was postponed.
05:05What I can say now is the completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2,
05:10which will be on July 2025.
05:14We will just wait until then
05:16because we don't know what will be done in Phase 3.
05:21For GMA Integrated News, Ian Cruz, for Tutok 24 Horas.
05:35For GMA Integrated News, Ian Cruz, for Tutok 24 Horas.
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