Former Senate president Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri believes that no irregularities in terms of funding will be unearthed in the scheduled hearing on the New Senate Building this week.

"Of course. Absolutely — wala talaga," Zubiri said in an interview on Monday, July 1.

The Senate Accounts Committee just announced that it is set to conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, July 3, as part of its commitment to ensure a prompt and impartial review of the NSB.

"Actually ako I inherited the project from Sen. Sotto and Sen. Lacson at si Sen. Sotto naman, lalong lalo na si Sen. Lacson ay talagang stickler yan for accountability and transparency so pag upo ko po bilang Senate President sabi ko kailangan transparent ito, kailangang ito po ay above board , wala po tayong pipirmahan dyan kung hindi natin makikita kung saan galing ang mga materyales na ito (Actually I inherited the project from Sen. Sotto and Sen. Lacson and Sen. Sotto, especially Sen. Lacos is really a stickler when it comes to accountability and transparency so when I became Senate President I told myself that this should be transparent, this has to be above board, we will not sign anything if we don't know where the materials came from)," he said.

"Dapat dumaan sa tamang sistema, paraan, dumaan sa procurement service law at yan po ang aking pinabuya at pinagsabi sa ating accounts chair Sen. Nancy Binay and I think she’s done a great job (It should have gone through the proper system, means, gone through the procurement service law, and that's what I told then Accounts chair Sen. Nancy Binay and I think she's done a great job)," he added.

Binay for her part said that the hearing would serve as an opportunity for her to air her side of the controversy surrounding its cost of construction.

"Maybe ito na yung pagkakataon para mapakinggan din ako ng pumalit sakin dahil nga up to now eh hindi pa rin sila nakikipag-usap sa akin (Maybe this is the chance for me to be heard by the one who replaced me since they have not yet spoken to me)," she said in a radio interview on DWIZ.

She was referring to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano who replaced her as chairperson of the Senate Accounts Committee.

Binay and Cayetano have been having a tit-for-tat on the new Senate building in the media.

It was Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero who mentioned that there was a need to review the NSB after learning that the expenses needed for its construction ballooned to P23 billion during a flag-raising ceremony last June 10.

Escudero expressed shock and disbelief at the unexpectedly high projected costs needed to complete the NSB. He noted that these expenses are particularly hard to accept given the economic crisis most Filipinos face.

He noted that the NSB was initially projected to cost P8.9 billion, and that the cost of the project had ballooned to P13 billion, with an additional P10 billion required for completion. This brought the total to P23 billion.

Binay has said in several interviews that the P23 billion is false.

Meanwhile, Zubiri said that I think it’s about time to for senators to have their own Senate building and appealed to Escudero to conduct the inquiry soon.

"I am appealing to Sen. Chiz Escudero to take the inquiries as soon as possible para ituloy na po nila ang — maibalik po nila ang schedule ng pag turn over ng ang New Senate Building (so they can continue with the schedule of turning over the New Senate Building)," he said.