Senators lead topping-off rites for new Senate building in Taguig

Senate leaders on Thursday led the topping-off ceremony of the new Senate Building in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

The rites was led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

He was joined by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senators Nancy Binay, Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito, Ronald dela Rosa, and Bong Go.

Former Senate President Tito Sotto, former Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Bases Conversion and Development Authority chairperson Delfin Lorenzana, and Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano also joined the incumbent senators in the ceremony.

According to Binay, chairperson of the Senate accounts committee, the topping-off ceremony is in line with the Senate’s goal to open the building for partial operations by July 2024.

"May instruction kasi si Senate President Zubiri to conduct the opening of session next year sa Bagong Senado," said Binay.

(Senate President Zubiri had instructed us to conduct the opening of the session next year at Bagong Senado.)

"Ang topping-off ay isang tradition na ginagawa para gunitain ang pagkumpleto sa structural frame ng isang building sa pamamagitan ng pagkabit ng huling structural beam nito," she added.

(The topping-off is a tradition that we do to celebrate the completion of the structural frame of a building.)

Binay also mentioned that the New Senate Building aims to be one of the first "green building-certified 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," said Binay.

The NSB integrates sustainable features such as energy-efficient systems, water conservation measures, and the use of eco-friendly materials, according to the senator.

It would also consume between 30% to 50% less energy than standard buildings, she added.

In the 17th Congress, the construction of the New Senate Building was approved after former Senator Panfilo Lacson, then-chairperson of the committee of accounts, raised the need to relocate to a new site due to increasing space limitations and the need for enhanced facilities. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News