THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated an P8.3 billion budget for the construction of the main office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which is the only constitutional body that doesn’t have its own building.
The DBM, through its Multi-Year Contractual Authority (MYCA), gave the Comelec a budget of P8,391,952,800 for the construction of its building, which will start this year and is expected to be completed by 2025.
“The issuance of MYCA was based on the commitment of the Comelec that the annual budgetary requirements of the project shall be within the agency’s ceiling,” said the DBM.
Broken down to per year of construction, the Comelec will be provided P1,248,886,865.00 for 2023; P3,713,098,814.00 for 2024; and P3,429,967,121.00 for 2025.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the provision of the three-year budget is a step towards the poll body achieving one of its immediate goals.
“(We may) finally realize our dream of having a permanent home in (our) 83 years of existence,” said Laudiangco.
With the construction budget now assured, Laudiangco said the poll body is looking to start with the public bidding process as early as this month, which will include the pre-procurement conferences, invitations, publications/postings, and pre-bid conferences, among others.
“Hopefully, the proceedings attendant to the public bidding should start within the month,” said Laudiangco.
Last year, Elections chairman George Garcia said that one of his main priorities as poll chief is the construction of the Commission’s own building, which they plan to put up in its three-hectare property located at the Central Business Park I – Island “A” in Pasay City.
