Binay eyes Office of the Vice President at Makati city hall

MANILA, Philippines - Newly proclaimed Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday he wants to hold office at the old Makati city hall, rather than take over the office occupied by incumbent Vice President Noli de Castro at the Philippine National Bank (PNB) building in Pasay City.

The old city hall building “is very accessible to the people. That is a priority to me,” Binay said in a telephone interview.

Makati information and community relations chief Joey Salgado said Binay has asked the permission of his son, mayor-elect Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., to use the old city hall as the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The elder Binay said his predecessors have no official residence, unless they are given a Cabinet post. He said former President Joseph Estrada, who served as vice president from 1992 to 1998, held office as vice president at the Philippine International Convention Center after he was appointed by then President Fidel Ramos as chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.   

Salgado said the lease contract of the OVP at the PNB building along Macapagal Avenue is about to lapse next month. He said they are still looking into the rules governing a setup wherein a government agency rents a property of another government agency.

He said since the OVP’s budget is less than P200 million per year, using the old Makati municipal hall would “give the OVP potential savings.”

Salgado said the old Makati municipal hall, which was built in 1962, has a working office for the mayor, a receiving room, a room for a secretary and staff, one conference room and a ceremonial room.

“It was considered as the most modern public building when it was built in 1962. Vice President Binay’s priority is to see what are the resources of the OVP. He used to hold office there from 1987 until the new city hall building was built in 1999 or 2000. It will be renovated,” he said.

Salgado said renovation will take more or less a year.