Robinhood seeks separate probe on new Senate building

MANILA, Philippines — After a tense exchange between two senators over the construction of the New Senate Building, Sen. Robinhood Padilla is seeking an investigation into the issues surrounding the increased costs in the construction of the NSB.

Padilla filed Senate Resolution 1063 on Thursday directing his Senate committee on public information and mass media to handle the investigation in aid of legislation.

“Informing the public of the processes undertaken in the construction of the NSB, including the increased costs, is necessary to ensure that the public does not lose its trust in the Senate as an institution,” Padilla said. “There is a need to let the public know of the partner contractors, if any, and subcontractors of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.”

Padilla noted that Senate President Francis Escudero had ordered Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, as chairman of the committee on accounts, to review the cost of the NSB, as it had reportedly increased to P23 billion from an initial P8.9 billion.

The committee on accounts, in its public hearing last July 3, reported that the current total cost of the project is P23.38 billion, of which P8.9 billion is for the core and shell; P2.5 billion for the fit-out; P1.6 billion for land acquisition and P10.33 billion for works to complete.

Padilla was present during the Senate hearing on the NSB last Wednesday, when Cayetano and Sen. Nancy Binay had a tense exchange.Padilla described it as an indication of a healthy democracy.

“Let’s be happy and have these conversations because it means that there is no conspiracy happening and we, you know, are only planning for ourselves. When the Senate is like this, be happy because it means democracy is alive, their narrative is alive and they have the freedom to say what they want to say. That’s the reason why you elected us. We are not here to agree and connive with one another,” he said before Cayetano suspended the hearing last Wednesday.

Padilla noted Article XI, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution states that “public office is a public trust” and public officers and employees must at all times remain “accountable to the people.”

“Being part of one of the main branches of the