'New Senate home may cost P29 B'

The cost of the construction of the new Senate building could soar to as much as P29 billion, higher than the P23 billion that prompted Senate President Francis Escudero to suspend the project, according to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

- MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

During the continuation yesterday of the public hearing of the Senate committee on accounts, panel chair Cayetano estimated the cost of construction of the new building to go higher than P23 billion.

“If it doesn’t change, maybe P26 billion to P29 billion. We are still checking their basis, all of these were from the previous chairperson,” he said, referring to Sen. Nancy Binay.

Meanwhile, Binay expressed openness to reconcile with Cayetano after she filed an ethics complaint against her political rival for his language when he called her a rumormonger or “marites” during the new Senate building review.