A permanent, nine-storey residential building that will benefit the Philippine Navy (PN) will rise in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Situated on a 25-hectare area inside the Bonifacio Naval Station, the structure shall serve as a permanent housing facility for the Senior Officers of the Philippine Navy affected by the construction of the new Senate Building and the ongoing area development in Bonifacio South Pointe.
Present during the symbolic capsule-laying and groundbreaking ceremonies held February 23 were Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. as guest of honor and speaker, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman Delfin N. Lorenzana, BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) Aileen R. Zosa, PN Flag-Officer-In-Command Vice Admiral Toribio O Adaci Jr PN, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Engineer MGen Proceso S Rebancos PA, representing the AFP Chief of Staff Gen Andres C Centino PA, and Philippine Marine Corps Commandant MGen Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan.
“This praise-worthy project will not only impact the morale and welfare of our sailors and marines but will significantly contribute also to the operational preparedness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Secretary Galvez.
He added, “the quarters will provide warm and cozy homes for their respective families who share the weight of their sacrifices.”
Photo caption: BCDA Chairman Delfin N. Lorenzana is assisting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. in inserting a copy of the blueprint and other symbolical mementos in a capsule that shall be lowered on the ground, signalling the start of construction of the relocated residential building of the Philippine Navy in Naval Station Jose Francisco in Fort Bonifacio. BCDA photo.
This construction project will involve site development and will have 90 residential units, each with a floor area of 124 sqm complete with all the amenities and features of a condominium unit. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
Funded under the General Appropriations Act, the construction of this facility will be the first functional replication project to be undertaken by the BCDA for the Philippine Navy.
BCDA chief Aileen Zosa assured the Philippine Navy that processes to be implemented for the project will be “transparent, efficient and according to specifications.”
“We assure the AFP and Department of National Defense that from procurement to implementation, and up to the completion of these facilities, we will be with you,” said Zosa.
Photo caption: In her message, BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Aileen Zosa assured the leadership of AFP and DND that the BCDA project for the Philippine Navy shall be “transparent, efficient and according to specifications.” BCDA photo.
The project is one of the 23 structures that will be built for the Philippine Navy in fulfillment of an agreement signed in August 2021 by BCDA, DND and AFP for the replication and relocation of Navy’s facilities from the 33-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe and Navy Village.
For his part, Vice Admiral Adaci Jr. expressed gratitude to BCDA for this project as it reinforces the vision of the Philippine Navy of becoming "a modern and multi-capable naval force."
"I would like to thank the BCDA for their efforts in ensuring that the implementation remains aligned with the interests of the Navy and supportive of our existing modernization efforts,” he said.
With the AFP as its biggest stakeholder, the BCDA is mandated, pursuant to Republic Act 7227, to raise funds for the AFP Modernization Program and to convert former US military bases into areas for economic growth. The state corporation is likewise responsible in ensuring functional replication and relocation of military facilities that will be affected by its development projects.