ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Wag naman ganun': 'Young Guns' agree with Sotto's take on new Senate building 

'Wag naman ganun': 'Young Guns' agree with Sotto's take on new Senate building 

Published Jun 13, 2024 03:42 am

At A Glance

  • Members of the House of Representatives' "Young Guns" bloc thanked former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III for being a voice of reason on the issue of the ballooning cost of the new Senate building. 

tito sotto.jpgSenate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III

 

 

 

 

 

 



Members of the House of Representatives' "Young Guns" bloc thanked former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III for being a voice of reason on the issue of the ballooning cost of the new Senate building. 

Assistant Majority Leaders Jay Khonghun (Zambales, 1st district), Paolo Ortega V (La Union, 1st district), Jil Bongalon (Ako Bicol Party-list); and Assistant Minority Leader Rodge Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list) are on the same page with Sotto regarding the matter, which has alarmed both past and present senators. 

According to Khonghun, Sotto’s endorsement of the suspension of the building's construction pending a review of the current Senate leadership under Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero. 

He said Sotto’s move was a "significant validation" of Escudero’s prudent decision. 

“It is only right to re-evaluate such a major project, especially given the alarming increase in costs. Transparency and accountability must be our top priorities,” Khonghun said of the new Senate building, located at the posh Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. 

Meanwhile, Ortega said it was indeed shocking to hear that the project's cost had escalated to P23.3 billion--nearly three times higher than the original price tag of P8.9 billion. 

“We welcome former Senate President Sotto’s support for this review, as it reassures the public that their leaders are vigilant and committed to safeguarding public funds,” Ortega pointed out. 

For his part, Bongalon said Sotto’s acknowledgment of the need for scrutiny and his reference to past issues with the project contractor, Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., highlight the importance of the suspension. 

“It’s good news for the Filipino people that such concerns are being addressed promptly. This ensures that both the Senate and the public are kept informed and vigilant,” Bongalon remarked. 

Gutierrez, a House Minority member, emphasized the necessity of exercising prudence and transparency in the use of public funds. “Sotto’s call for transparency and accountability deeply resonates with us,” he stated. 

“We welcome former Senate President Sotto’s stand and fully support the initiative to scrutinize the new Senate building project. It must adhere to the principles of accountability and fiscal responsibility. We must ensure that every peso is spent wisely and in the best interest of the Filipino people,” added the lawyer-solon. 
 

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/12/gastos-pa-more-congressmen-sound-off-on-costly-new-senate-building


In a radio interview, Sotto expressed his approval of Escudero’s halt order, which he described as "good news". 

“Magandang balita na nalaman natin ito. Kami mismo nagulat sa estimate na ‘yan. ‘Wag naman ganun. Maganda na rin na nalaman kaagad ng taumbayan ‘yan, at nalaman din na nakabantay ang Senado,” he said. 

(For us to know this is good news. We were shocked by the estimated cost. That shouldn't be allowed. It's good that the people knew about it immediately, as did those watching over the Senate.) 

Hilmarc is the same company involved in the allegedly overpriced construction of the P2.3-billion Makati City Hall Building II from 2008 to 2013.
 

Related Tags

Tito Sotto Young Guns new senate building
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.