Senator Nancy Binay said on Saturday, May 25, that she had no plans to resign as the head of the Senate Committee on Accounts but was told to do so to give way to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who immediately wanted to assume the role.

"In fact, wala naman akong plano mag-resign noong Monday, but sinabihan ako ni Majority Floor Leader na kailangan din ako mag-tender ng resignation kasi gusto nang kunin that day ni Senator Cayetano yung pwesto (In fact, I had no plan to resign last Monday but I was told by the Majority Floor Leader that I should tender my resignation because Senator Cayetano wanted to immediately grab the position that day)," she said in a radio interview on DWIZ.

Juan Miguel Zubiri was unseated last Monday as the Senate President, and replaced by Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. 

This was followed by the resignation of the other members of the "Solid 7" which included former Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Senators Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, and Binay. 

The Senate leadershipn switch triggered changes in the chairmanship of some key committees in the upper chamber.

"Usually, sa practice at pag nagkakaroon ng palitan, ang inuuna muna yung mga officers. Tapos the next day, yung mga, kung may pagbabago sa committee. Hindi ko alam, siguro maganda itanong kay Senator Alan kung bakit atat na atat siya (Usually, in practice when there are changes, we prioritize the officers. The next day, we address the changes in the committees. I don't know, I think it's better to ask Senator Alan on why he's very eager)," Binay said.

Binay, who gave up the Committee on Accounts, will now head the Sustainable Development Goals Committee. 

New Senate building

Due to this, Binay will no longer oversee the construction of the new P8.9-billion Senate building, which according to her previous interviews, will be ready for occupancy in January 2025. 

"I guess, ang panawagan ko kay Senator Alan Cayetano, eh, kung paano ko pinagpatuloy yung inumpisahan ni Senator [Panfilo] Lacson, dahil, technically namana ko lang din naman. Eh, sana ituloy din niya (I guess my call for Senator Alan Cayetano is to continue what I did when I inherited this from Senator Lacson)," she said.

"Dahil, itong bagong building ng Senado, ang intention niyan is to be an iconic government building na dapat, yan yung magiging standards ng mga bagong gusali na itatayo ng ating pamahalaan (Because this new Senate building's intention is to be an iconic government building that will be the standard of new government structures)," she added.

Due to the change in management, Binay stated that the original date for moving may be delayed. She added that with proper handling, the building can be ready by July 2025.

The Senate is currently renting GSIS offices.

Binay explained that the construction of the structure was finished quickl  because she retained the same workers who were under Lacson. If Cayetano were to hire a different crew for this task, she said that this would lead to delays. 

"Saka hindi ko rin alam kung magiging as passionate si Senator Alan dun sa pagtutok dun sa building (I don't know if Senator Alan will be as passionate in focusing on the building's construction)," she said.