Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 9) — Moving the House of Representatives from Quezon City to Taguig City is not a priority of the chamber despite a proposal from lawmakers to study the idea.
\”It’s not a priority at this time,\” House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said on Thursday in response to a resolution filed by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. with Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte and Quezon Rep. David Suarez.
\”We’re talking about 10,000 people. So it’s not easy to move the building, the physical building to another location,\” Velasco added.
House Resolution 1390 sought the creation of an ad hoc committee to study the relocation of the House to Taguig to be closer to the Senate, which is due to move to a new structure in the city next year.
Velasco said the lower chamber needs to consider how the move will affect over 10,000 employees, many of whom live in Quezon City and nearby areas.
He, however, stressed the relocation proposal should be studied since membership in the House is continuously growing with the creation of new districts.
Velasco said the House has “two to three hectares” of property in Taguig where a new complex could be built.
\”We’ll wait and see,\” he said. \”But we already have an area there. They have allotted an area for us but not as big as Batasan complex.\”
The local government is also willing to donate land to the chamber, Velasco added.
The House of Representatives is located at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, which was built in the 1970s.
The buildings in the complex house the halls for hearings, committee offices, and offices of congressmen.
