Senator Alan Peter Cayetano assured the public on Wednesday that the construction of the New Senate Building (NSB) remains on track, with efforts focused on reducing costs without compromising its design and quality.
“We are doing our best to maintain the aesthetics and quality, lower the project price, and hopefully finish it by the first quarter of 2027,” Cayetano told reporters during a media interview on March 26, 2025.
Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Accounts, explained that the Senate’s priority is to ensure that the project cost aligns with “apples-to-apples” pricing — comparing the previous design and the intended outcome with today’s market rates.
“There are no delays as everything is going smoothly. Ang basic task ay ibaba y’ung presyo,” he said.
The NSB has faced scrutiny due to its ballooning budget. With the core and shell of the building priced at P8.9 billion in 2018, the projected overall project cost has now surged to P33.07 billion.
Cayetano, who has been actively reviewing the project, previously pointed out that some of these cost increases could have been avoided with better planning and oversight.
When asked about Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s statement that no irregularities have been found in the NSB, Cayetano clarified that his committee’s primary focus was ensuring completion and addressing delays.
“We didn’t go into this asking, ‘Is there an anomaly or not?’ What we looked at was why there was a delay, what remedies were available, and how to prevent further delays,” he said.
With the project expected to be completed by 2027, Cayetano said there are ongoing proactive inspections on the NSB and hinted at inviting reporters to cover the developments firsthand.
“We will provide an update by mid-next week. Baka isama na namin kayo doon,” he told reporters.
