Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday, July 20, led the topping-off ceremony for the new Senate building located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

From left to right: former senator Ralph Recto, former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva and Sen. Nancy Binay. (Photo courtesy of O/S Nancy Binay)

The new Senate building aims to be one of the first green building-certified government facilities under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) program.

“In the face of climate change the government should walk the talk in promoting the use of sustainable structures," Sen. Nancy Binay, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Accounts said.

Binay said the topping-off ceremony signals the Senate’s readiness to open for partial operations by July 2024.

She also said Zubiri has given instructions to conduct the opening of the Senate session next year at the new Senate building.

“The topping-off is a tradition done to commemorate the completion of the structural frame of a building by attaching its last structural beam,” Binay said in Filipino.

Also present during the ceremony were Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Senators Cynthia Villar, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go, and Binay.

Also in attendance were former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and former senator Ralph Recto.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman Delfin Lorenzana, and Taguig Mayor Laarni “Lani” Cayetano were also at the site.

According to Binay, the new Senate building integrates sustainable features such as energy-efficient systems, water conservation measures, and the use of eco-friendly materials. It would also consume between 30 to 50 percent less energy than standard buildings.

The building’s construction was green-lit in 2017 during the 17th Congress, after then Committee on Accounts chair, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson pressed the need for the Senate to relocate to a new site due to increasing space limitations and the need for enhanced facilities.