COA: Makati Science High School building costs P1.3 billion

Facade of the allegedly overpriced Makati Science High School (PNA photo by Avito C.Dalan)

MANILA – It was only pegged for P348.669 million, but the cost of the 10-story Makati Science High School building ballooned to over P1.3 billion over six phases, according to the Commission on Audit.

Commission on Audit (COA) Chair Grace Pulido-Tan said on Tuesday that “red flags” should have been spotted by the auditing team as the construction was on going.

Tan made a statement during the senate inquiry on the corruption allegations on the allegedly overpriced buildings in Makati involving Vice President Jejomar Binay.

She testified that the COA was not in position to say that the project was overpriced because it did not cleared the project.

Despite this, Tan said that there were several things that their auditing team could check.

She also pointed out she was surprised with the estimated cost of the building prepared by Rosemary Yumul, chief of Makati’s planning division stating that the building was at P348.669 million.

She added that in the first three phases alone, a total of P348 million was already spent.

And adding the expenses for the three more stages, the cost reached P1.3 billion.

“So how did this project reach P1.3 billion when at the start, what they had in mind, what they wanted to build was only going to be worth P348.6 million,” she said.

Meanwhile, several experts were tapped by the senate committee to estimate the cost of the building.