For Better Coordination: Villafuerte, Gonzales, Suarez Propose New House Building Near Senate Office In Taguig
Three lawmakers have jointly filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to construct a new building near the under-construction building of the Senate in Taguig City.
Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., and Quezon Rep. David Suarez introduced House Resolution 1390.
The resolution urged the House to create an ad hoc committee tasked to conduct and study the construction and relocation of the House building.
The new Senate building is near completion and is set to start partial operations in July 2024. The construction started in 2017 after former Senator Panfilo Lacson, then-chair of the Committee on Accounts, called for the need to relocate to a new site for the Philippine Senate due to increasing space limitations and the need for enhanced facilities, according to the resolution.
“The House of Representatives should likewise consider transferring to the same area, near the Senate for better communication and coordination of legislative work,” the resolution read.
According to the resolution, the House and the Senate used to share space in the Legislative Building before the war, which was the origin of the term “upper house” and “lower house”, where the Senate had its session hall on the second floor while the House had its session hall on the ground floor.
The lawmakers said that the accessibility of public transport, through efficient transportation options, including buses, shuttles, and the Metro Rail Transit system, excellent connectivity to major thoroughfares, airports, and other key areas in Metro Manila, should be a key consideration for all the legislators, employees and guests of the House.
