BUILDING MODERN HOUSING FACILITY FOR THE NAVAL FORCE

Officers of the Philippine Navy (PN) will definitely benefit once the construction of the nine-storey residential building in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City is completed in 2025.

Situated in a 25-hectare area inside the Bonifacio Naval Station, the structure will serve as a permanent housing facility for the senior officers of the PN affected by the construction of the new Senate Building and the ongoing area development in Bonifacio South Pointe.

To formally start the construction activities, a symbolic capsule-laying and groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 23. It was attended by Department of National Defense (DND) Officerin-Charge Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. who graced the event as guest of honor and speaker; Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman Delfin N. Lorenzana; BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) Aileen Anunciacion R. Zosa; Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Toribio O. Adaci Jr PN; Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Engineer MGen Proceso S. Rebancos PA, who represented AFP Chief of Staff Gen Andres C. Centino PA; and Philippine Marine Corps Commandant MGen Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan PN(M).

Operational preparedness

“This praiseworthy 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.

“The quarters will provide warm and cozy homes for their respective families who share the weight of their sacrifices,” the Defense Secretary added.

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 PN. It will have 90 residential units, each with a floor area of 124 sqm, complete with all the amenities and features of a condominium unit.

BCDA PCEO Zosa assured the PN that processes to be implemented for the project will be “transparent, efficient and according to specifications.”

“We assure the AFP and the Department of National Defense that from procurement to implementation, and up to the completion of these facilities, we will be with you,” she added.

'Modern, multi-capable naval force'

The project is one of the 23 structures that will be built for the PN in fulfillment of an agreement signed in August 2021 by the BCDA, the DND, and the AFP for the replication and relocation of Naval facilities from the 33-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe and Navy Village.

For his part, Vice Admiral Adaci Jr. expressed gratitude to the 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,” Vice Admiral Adaci Jr. 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 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. —RCV