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After Binay-Cayetano clash, Padilla sets own probe into new Senate building

Article (news)

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720144385451binay-padilla.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators Nancy Binay and Robin Padilla. <em>Senate PRIB</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Robin Padilla is eyeing to conduct his own investigation into the <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">issues surrounding the &quot;increased costs&quot; of the New Senate Building.</span></p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/10/cost-of-new-senate-building-nearly-tripled-shocked-escudero-orders-review-1157">• Cost of new Senate building nearly tripled; &#x27;shocked&#x27; Escudero orders review</a></div><div><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Padilla on Thursday filed Senate Resolution 1063 directing his Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media to handle the investigation.</span></div><div><span id="isPasted">A day earlier, his colleague Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano conducted his own inquiry, which saw him engaging in a heated exchange with Sen. Nancy Binay, who handled the project prior to the Senate&#x27;</span><span>s leadership revamp. Binay walked out of that hearing and was mulling to file </span> <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/4/binay-mulls-ethics-complaint-vs-cayetano-after-marites-barb-claim-on-interview-questions-801"></a><span><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/4/binay-mulls-ethics-complaint-vs-cayetano-after-marites-barb-claim-on-interview-questions-801">ethics</a></span><span> complaint against Cayetano.</span></div><div><span><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/3/binay-walks-out-after-clashing-with-cayetano-in-senate-hearing-2210">• Binay walks out after clashing with Cayetano in Senate hearing</a></span></div><div><span></span></div><div><span>Following their clash, Cayetano has yet to confirm if his panel would conduct another hearing into the matter or if they had agreed that Padilla would take over the investigation.</span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17201429821451718006910602MicrosoftTeams-image.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The New Senate Building under construction in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. <em>Photo courtesy of Senate PRIB</em></span></span></span></div><p><span>Meanwhile, Padilla justified conducting his own probe by citing &quot;</span>the need to maintain the public&#x27;s trust in the Senate as an institution.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Informing the public of the processes undertaken in the construction of the NSB including the increased costs, is necessary to ensure that the public does not lose its trust in the Senate as an institution,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Being part of one of the main branches of the government, it is incumbent upon the Senate to set the example of transparency and accountability not only to the entire bureaucracy but more importantly, to the Filipino people,&quot; he added.</p><p>Padilla noted that Cayetano&#x27;s Committee on Accounts found that the current total cost of the project was P23.38 billion.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/2/binay-calls-out-backstabbing-senator-politicizing-new-senate-building-1737">• Binay calls out &#x27;backstabbing&#x27; senator &#x27;politicizing&#x27; new Senate building</a></div><p>But Binay, citing documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said that the cost of the new Senate building was around P21 billion.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/1/escudero-no-allegation-of-irregularity-on-new-senate-building-2139" id="isPasted">• Escudero: No allegation of irregularity on new Senate building</a></div><p>Binay earlier said the probe into the new Senate building was &quot;politicized&quot; and could possibly be an offshoot of the Makati-Taguig issue.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fczcRgydXRY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Robin Padilla justified conducting his own probe by citing "the need to maintain the public's trust in the Senate as an institution."</p>

Sen. Robin Padilla justified conducting his own probe by citing "the need to maintain the public's trust in the Senate as an institution."