GASTOS SA BAGONG SENATE BUILDING, AABOT SA P27-B

Dahil sa inflation rate at kasalukuyang presyo ng construction materials, posibleng umabot sa P25 bilyon hanggang P27 bilyon ang kabuuang gagastusin para sa ipinapatayong bagong Senate building sa Taguig City.

Sa isinagawang pagdinig ng Senate Committee on Accounts na pinamumunuan ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, inamin ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) na maaring mdagdagan pa ang gastos sa 20 percent hanggang 25 percent ng Phase 3 ng proyekto kung susumahin ang kasalukuyang presyo ngayon.

“To my estimate, from the time the project was bid out, more or less 20 to 25 percent [more]. It would reach P25 billion to P27 billion, including the cost of land,” ayon kay dating DPWH Undersecretary Antonio Molano Jr.

Matatandaan na nagkagirian si Cayetano at Sen. Nancy Binay kaugnay sa presyo ng pagpapatayo sa bagong Senate building.

Sen. Binay and I argued about the cost. Total project cost was over P23 billion, total construction cost P21.7 billion. We were both right … ,” ayon kay Cayetano.

“In better, cooler heads, including myself, we can come to those numbers. The problem is … I realized that the prices were outdated. So what we’ve been arguing about is senseless because the total building cost has already exceeded P23 billion,” dagdag niya.

Nag-sorry si Cayetano sa publiko kaugnay sa nangyari noong nakaraang pagdinig, kung saan sinampahan siya ng ethics complaint ni Sen. Binay.

“I want to apologize especially to the viewers. You know when emotions are high, arguments happen. But we’ll deal with that issue later on,” aniya.

“Let’s keep our eyes on the ball first. Let’s focus on how we’ll finish the project that is beautiful and with the right cost at soonest possible time. That’s the purpose of this hearing,” dagdag niya,