Congress is being asked to allot a budget for the construction of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) own headquarters.
Comelec commissioner George Garcia said the regulator is “pleading with Congress to give us even a minuscule budget to put up our own building.”
The Comelec has been leasing several offices in Manila for their operations, which means a higher rental cost for the agency, ABS-CBN News reported.
The official’s request comes after the Comelec’s IT office at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila caught fire and raised concerns about the security of the electorate’s data.
Garcia said the Comelec had acquired land from the Public Estates Authority where its planned headquarters will be constructed. The area is near the Baclaran Church in Parañaque City and was purchased during the time of then-Comelec chief Sixto Brillantes.