Sen. Grace Poe supports proposed new Comelec building

Senator Grace Poe supports the plan to build the Commission on Election (Comelec)’s own building.

In the senate’s budget hearing, Poe said it would be better for the commission than to continue paying rent.

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“I think it is reasonable for us to assume that really every major government agency should have a proper place and specially Comelec to have a proper venue to be able to store whatever election documents the have, to be able to operate efficiently and comfortably because we notice that every now and then, Comelec always figures in some fire incident and it is usually after a contested election so I think maybe in this new facility hopefully it will be state of the art at least when it comes to safety standards,” said Poe.

“Iba talaga pag may sariling tahanan, ikaw naman ay nagrerenta, tinatapon mo lang ang pera dun, ito mas mabuti, may equity na,” the senator added.

The Comelec initially requested a P1.5 billion budget to start the building construction next year, but the Department of Budget and Management only provided P500 million.

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Sen. Grace Poe supports proposed new Comelec building

The estimated cost of the building to be built in Pasay City is P9.337 billion. It is said that the Comelec will save up to P20 billion in the next 50 years because, according to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, the commission spends up to P159 million per year on rent at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.

According to Senator Imee Marcos, the cost of the new building can be lowered.

It is said that the savings or accumulated commission money can also be added to the construction of the building.

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It is also said that the answer is to have the COMELEC’s own building so that it is not thought that the commission is biased against the local officials who lend the buildings.

According to Marcos, the construction of the building can begin because the initial budget will reach two billion pesos, P500 million from the chamber, P1 billion from the senate, and P500 million from the National Expenditure Program.

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