ANTIPOLO City is offering its 64-hectare Government Center as the new home of the Philippine Senate for free, with Mayor Jun Ynares leading a delegation to convince senators to move from its current offices in Pasay City.
Ynares said it would be best for the Senate to move to Antipolo for “geographical, historical and economic reasons.” He said the city’s Government Center is just 30 minutes away from the House of Representatives in Quezon City and 45 minutes away from the de facto national government center at the Quezon Memorial Circle.
Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate doesn’t have its own building. It currently occupies one of the buildings owned by the Government Service Insurance System in Pasay, but is paying P110 million in rent yearly to the GSIS.
Senators were lukewarm to a recent proposal to erect a building at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, giving Antipolo an opening to offer its government grounds.
“This will relieve the Senate of some P110 million in rental costs, P1.2-billion savings on land acquisition, and around P4-billion savings for the construction cost of a vertical building, should the Senate opt to buy a site,” Ynares said.
“We offer our Senate not just financial savings, but also the opportunity to help spur the faster economic growth of the eastern corridor of Luzon,” he added.
Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Gringo Honasan admired the mayor’s presentation.
“We have to admit, I have to admit I am quite mesmerized by your presentation,” Sotto said.
“That was a pretty impressive presentation,” Honasan added.