There are three things that matter in property and real estate: Location, location, location.
The Philippine Senate, therefore, would be best served if it accepts the offer to relocate to a 25-hectare parcel of land in Antipolo City, which it will donate to the legislature free of any charges or encumbrances, according to Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III.
The Senate is considering relocating from its present location in Pasay City to another site because of the hefty P119 million annual rent that has to be paid for the use of the GSIS Building near Roxas Boulevard.
The Senate’s choices have been narrowed down to Taguig or Antipolo, according to reports.
The Antipolo location is on a hilltop with a panoramic 360-degree unobstructed view of the neighboring areas, including Metro Manila and the rest of the province of Rizal.
The Antipolo mayor said the Secretariat of the Senate already visited the site.
“It’s beautiful. In fact, the Secretariat of the Senate already conducted an ocular. Everyone, all the members of the Secretariat, all the employees. They were instructed by Senate President Koko Pimentel to inspect the place. Everyone thought the place was beautiful. It’s on top of a hill with an unobstructed 360 degree view,” said Ynares.
The proposed Senate home is accessible because it is right beside the eight-lane Marikina-Infanta Highway (Marcos Highway), which connects Metro Manila to Quezon Province.
Antipolo has less traffic compared to the perennially gridlocked location in Taguig, and is actually closer to the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City, making it more accessible to members of the House of Representatives for bicameral hearings and meetings.
Additionally, moving to Antipolo instead of Taguig will save P1.2 billion on land acquisition and another P4 billion in savings for the construction of a sprawling complex instead of a skyscraper, which will be necessary if they relocate to Taguig, Ynares said.
The mayor said the Senate will again convene after the President’s State of the Nation Address on July 24 to decide once and for all whether to relocate the Senate to Taguig or Antipolo.
The popular choice is Taguig, but Mayor Ynares hopes the benefits of Antipolo’s location, plus the estimated billions of pesos in savings will sway the Senators to choose his city instead.