Filipinos who transact at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office will have a more hospitable place to do business in October when POLO moves to its new premises at nearby Lippo Centre Tower, also in Admiralty.Labor Attaché Jalilo de la Torre told The SUN in an interview on Jun 12 that there is enough space to accommodate queues in the building because POLO would be leasing the entire fourth floor.
“At least, kapag doon ka pumila, atin ang buong floor, samantala dito marami ka-share sa floor,” the labor official said.
He said POLO would save a lot of money from the lower monthly rental rate than it is currently paying for the two units in Admiralty Centre Tower 1.
The deal for the Lippo unit was clinched at $40 per square foot, while POLO is paying for the two offices at Admiralty Centre Tower 1 at $48/sq ft.
“If we don’t move out of this building by October, our rent will go up to $56/sq ft,” Labatt said. “Doon sana sa United Centre, meron whole floor pero $90/sq ft.”
He said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had already approved the new site, and renovation work would begin next month. But he was not yet sure about the renovation cost, as he had received various quotations from contractors bidding for the project. One contractor, MGB, was reportedly asking for $1.58 million for the job.
The work will involve changing the layout to allocate 70% of the space to the public area and the rest to the offices and training rooms.
He said that because of restrictions on building use at Admiralty Centre Tower 1, POLO could only conduct six training courses.
“Pag doon (Lippo), may CR doon kaya puwede na yung mga training na gumagamit ng tubig tulad ng cooking, sa buhok, cosmetology. Marami tayong mai-introduce doon,” Labatt De la Torre said.
There would also be more room in the public area of the Lippo Centre site to hold the post-arrival orientation seminar for newly arrived domestic helpers, he sad.
PAOS is conducted 12 times a month at POLO, with four seminars each on weekdays in two weeks and four on Sundays. - VBL
