A permanent nine-storey residential building for Philippine Navy (PN) personnel will rise in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City in 2025, the PN said on Saturday, Feb. 25.
This, after officials from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Department of National Defense (DND) broke ground and held the symbolic capsule-laying ceremony for the said housing facility last Feb. 23.
Accordingly, the structure is situated on a 25-hectare area inside the Bonifacio Naval Station at Fort Bonifacio. It will house senior officers of the Navy who were affected by the construction of the new Senate Building in Taguig City and the ongoing area development in Bonifacio South Pointe.
“This praise-worthy project will not only impact the morale and welfare of our sailors and marines but will significantly contribute also to the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said DND Officer in Charge (OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
“The quarters will provide warm and cozy homes for their respective families who share the weight of their sacrifices,” he added.
The project will involve site development and construction of 90 residential units, each with a floor area of 124 square meters “complete with all amenities and features of a condominium unit.”
“It is expected to be completed by 2025,” the BCDA said.
The project is funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) and will be the first functional replication to be undertaken by the BCDA for the Navy.
It is also one of the 23 structures that will be built by the BCDA for the Navy in fulfillment of an agreement signed by the BCDA, DND, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in August 2021 for the relocation and replication of Navy facilities from the 33-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe and Navy Village.
Navy chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. thanked the BCDA for pushing the construction of the housing facility for the troops which, he said, will “reinforce the vision of the Philippine Navy of becoming a modern and multi-capable naval force.”
Meanwhile, BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aileen Zosa assured the DND and the AFP that the processes to be implemented for the project “will be transparent, efficient, and according to specifications.”
Also present during the ceremonies were BCDA Chairman Delfin Lorenzana, AFP Chief Engineer Major Gen. Proceso Rebancos who represented AFP chief General Andres Centino, and Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) Commandant Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan.