Senators question Makati's P350-M budget for office relocation

Senators on Thursday criticized as exorbitant Makati City's P350-million allocation for the transfer of its urban planning office and data center to the allegedly overpriced P2.7-billion Makati City Hall Building 2.

The construction of the controversial office and parking complex started when Vice President Jejomar Binay was mayor of the city. He and his son, incumbent Mayor Junjun Binay, are facing plunder raps before the Ombudsman in connection with the allegedly padded construction cost.

 

“Nag-allocate po ang Makati City government ng P350 million para lang lumipat ang isang department dun sa bagong building na kadikit lang nito," Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said during the continuation of the Senate inquiry on the multibillion-peso building.

"So, yan na po yata ang pinakamahal na paglipat ng isang opisina sa buong mundo. P350 million. Ni hindi na nga po magpapamasahe diyan eh,” he added.

 

Lorenza Amores, head of the city's budget department, said the allocation was for the transfer of the Urban Development and Planning Department but no money has been disbursed yet.

 

Engineer Merlina Panganiban, urban development officer, said the amount was for the transfer of the office which was composed of many divisions.  Panganiban, however, said the bulk of the amount would be for the transfer of the city’s data center.

 

“Lahat ng transaction sa Makati ay doon nanggagaling sa data center. Lahat ng connections ay nandito. Ang idea ay kailangan mong paandarin mo muna ito bago patayin ang old data center. You need to buy new equipment, yun ang dapat ilagay sa bagong data center,” Panganiban said.

 

Trillanes said the amount was too big for the transfer even with the acquisition of new equipment.

 

“Ang sinasabi ko gagastos ka, pero hindi ka gagastos ng P350 million. Yan na lang ba ang only way? Kung nagbigay ka na lang ng P100,000 sa mahihirap sa Makati ilan kaya ang mabibigyan ninyo? Ang ginagawa ninyo kasi bibigyan ninyo lang ng barya ang mga mahihirap,” Trillanes said.

 

The present location of the office is set to be demolished.

 

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Trillanes' partymate in the Nacionalista Party, said the new building should already have the connections for the data center.

 

“Kapag sinabi ninyo na data center dapat lahat ng connection ay nandoon, yun ay dapat kasama na sa gastos [sa] building. Kaya nga mahal ang bayad ninyo sa building ninyo ay dapat ay nandoon na ang lahat,” Cayetano said.

 

He also questioned the equipment the city government is planning to buy for its data center.

 

Cayetano said the servers and computers are now cheaper but Panganiban said it depends on the type of equipment and the specifications.

 

“Kasi ang experience namin (sa Taguig) sa una lang mahal kasi hindi naman ganoon kamahal ang maintenance. At saka mura na ang computers ngayon,” Cayetano said.

 

“Depende po. In our case hindi naman yun sa IT kasi medyo may alam naman ako sa IT. We identify the functionalities na gagamitin at kung saan gagamitin,” Panganiban said.

 

Trillanes was not convinced by Panganiban’s explanation.

 

“Kung maglalatag ka ng bagong kable, no matter how sophisticated, it will not go anywhere near P350 million. That is for your information only. COA auditor, please tingnan nyo paano," Trillanes said.

"Commissioner (Jose) Fabia, I am sure you are hearing all of this. Nakikita n’yo kung paano nilulustay ang pera ng pamahalaan unnecessarily just because they can,” Trillanes added.

 

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, who presided over the hearing, ordered Amores and Panganiban to submit the documents for the project.

Low-cost housing instead of cakes

 

Trillanes also questioned the city's P4.9-billion budget for social services, which he said was larger than the P4.4 billion set aside by Quezon City.

 

The budget includes funds for cakes, flowers, donations, and financial assistance. 

 

“Sa Makati, ang population roughly 500,000. Ngayon kung 100,000 dito ay urban poor ng Makati, that’s roughly 20,000 families," Trillanes said.

"Alam n’yo ba if you divide this (P4.9 billion) by 20,000, puwede na kayo magpatayo ng tig-isang low-cost housing bawat isang urban poor sa Makati dito sa budget nyo na ito? Kada taon to ah. For one year, tanggal niyo na ang urban poor situation sa Makati,” he added.

 

“Para makita ng kababayan natin sa Makati kung magkano dapat ang kanilang makukuha at magkano nakukuha nila. Dapat bawat isang mahirap sa Makati, makakatanggap ng P250,000 based sa budget nyo. Sumahin nyo ang binibigay nyo sa bawat mahirap sa Makati, P5,000. Ang tanong, nasan ang P245,000 kada isang pamilya?" Trillanes said.

"Mga kababayan natin komo libre pa-sine, may cake ka pag birthday mo, parang napakagaling. Hindi po. Kailangan niyo malaman na mas malaki pa dapat ang nakukuha nyo sa Makati. Higit na mas malaki sa tinatanggap nyo ngayon,” he added.

'Pointless hearing'

 

In an interview with reporters, Senator Nancy Binay asked why the senators are asking about the detailed budget of Makai when they failed to check the details of the proposed national budget for 2015.

Nancy Binay is a daughter of Vice President.

 

"Tignan mo kung ganun ang pagde-detalye nila sa budget ng Department of Health. Hindi sila nagtanong. They never asked for details," she said.

 

Binay even called the inquiry a "pointless hearing" as the senators already have a conclusion on the issue.

 

"This is not a search for truth but for media mileage. Bakit naghe-hearing pa sila, nag aaksaya sila ng pera ng bayan, eh, meron na silang conclusion dito?" she said.

 

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, or the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, is scheduled to conduct another hearing on the matter on September 11. — JDS/NB, GMA News