AFTER being stonewalled by the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Senate Committee on Accounts has given Secretary Manuel Bonoan until July 1 to submit all relevant documents on the New Senate Building (NSB) project.

This as the committee scheduled a public hearing on the matter on July 3 in a bid to eliminate delays that could result in unnecessary costs or complicate cost-related matters.

“We have reached out numerous times to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) since June 14, 2024 for the submission of all project-related documents but all our communication has fallen on deaf ears,” the committee said in a statement.

Committee chair Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has underscored the importance of creating an “iconic and functional” building that will “symbolize democracy” that can make the public feel a sense of ownership.

“Kung magiging masyadong mahal o… kung pinaka-magiging maluho na building sa buong Pilipinas ito, hindi ito magiging simbolo ng democracy at pride ng ating mga kababayan, kundi kasusuklaman pa ng iba,” he said in an interview.

He revealed that two concurrent reviews are ongoing: one focusing on the first and second phases of the project and the other scrutinizing the third phase, which requires an additional P10 billion.

He said since the first two phases are already ongoing, there will be no delay during the review process, which will focus on the changes and the cost.

For the third phase, the review will check if the same quality can be done at a lower cost. “Ang objective ng Senate President (Francis Escudero), and I would assume ng whole Senate, nandoon pa rin y’ung quality, secure pa rin yung building, pro ‘wag ganoon kalaki ang gastos,” he said.

At the time of that interview, Cayetano said he had given the DPWH and a Senate coordinating group, including representatives of former CA chairs Senator Nancy Binay and former Senator Panfilo Lacson, “additional instructions” for clearer project insights.

“I gave them additional instructions na gumawa sila ng timeline at ibigay nila lahat. In that way, we can be transparent to you. At least maibigay namin sa inyo y’ung timeline, inventory, o table of contents,” he said.

But based on the Committee on Accounts’ statement on Friday, the DPWH has apparently not done its part in providing the necessary documents and other inputs for the review of the NSB project.

“Consequently, we have formally requested Secretary Manuel Bonoan for these documents to be submitted no later than Monday, July 1, 2024. This timeline allows committee members adequate time to review the materials thoroughly ahead of Wednesday’s hearing,” the committee Cayetano said.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Camille P. Balagtas