MAKATI BLDG. 2 ORDINARY; NOT WORLD-CLASS: EXPERTS

by Jay Ruiz, ABS-CBN News

Posted at 09/01/2014 3:33 PM | Updated as of 09/01/2014 3:44 PM

MANILA – A Senate sub-committee of the blue ribbon chaired by Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. conducted an ocular inspection of the allegedly overpriced P2.2 billion Makati City Building 2 on Monday morning.

Pimentel was accompanied by fellow Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, along with an independent quantity surveyor, engineers, architects, Makati City officials, as well as engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Greg Jackson, an Australian independent quantity surveyor, called the building ordinary, standard and not world-class.

This was echoed by appraiser Federico Cuervo and architect Danilo Alano, who both said that the materials used were just ordinary.

Trillanes also assessed that the 33,000-square-meter building could not have been valued at P1 billion.

The group inspected the building thoroughly and found out that the building has a roof deck; the ground floor or lobby has a mezzanine and has office spaces.

Floors 2nd to 6th, as well as the basement, are parking areas.

Floors 7th to 10th, meanwhile, are used as office spaces. There is also an atrium in the middle.

The 11th floor is used for storage.

The Senate resource persons also noted that linoleum was used, instead of tiles, in the office spaces from the 7th to 10th floors.

Hardiflex or dry walls, instead of concrete, were used in the construction.

There are also two small elevators.

RALLY FOR BINAYS

For City Administrator Atty. Eleno Mendoza, however, only the Commission on Audit or the Office of the Ombudsman have the right to say that the building is overpriced.

Joey Salgado, spokesman of Makati, reiterated that there was no overpricing in the construction of the building.

While the inspection was going on, a number of residents rallied in front of the building and showed their support for Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.