Unused RP chancery in US gets new lease on life

WASHINGTON — The Philippine government has decided to shell out $250,000 (about P12 million) to spruce up an old, unused chancery in Washington that it has owned since the days of US colonialism.

Consul General Domingo Nolasco said the plan was to restore the facade of the building, protected by the US Historical Society, and fix up the ground floor as a consulate office.

The building at 1617 Massachusetts Avenue, just across the present embassy, predates the independence of the Republic of the Philippines and was the headquarters of the government-in-exile of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country in World War II.

It fell into disuse about 17 years ago when a new embassy at 1600 Massachusetts Avenue was built.

Because of increasing real estate taxes leveled on unused diplomatic property and lack of funds to maintain the old chancery, a decision was made to sell it off in 2003 but that effort collapsed due to intense media opposition in Manila to the sale of “our nation’s family and crown jewels.”

Since then embassy officials have been trying to lease out the property without much luck.

“We were able to convince the Foreign Office in Manila to renovate the old chancery so we could use it, thus saving money on property taxes while at the same time expanding the consular office. It was a no-brainer,” said Nolasco, who heads a 10-member consular section.

Competitive bidding of construction work will begin in the next two weeks and Nolasco expects the building to be ready for occupancy within the next few months.

Property taxes for the old, unused diplomatic building costs the Philippine government about $35,000 (P1.6 million) a year so it could get its return on investment in about seven years or less. 

The consulate office at the embassy has outgrown its present surroundings because of the increased number of people who come in from surrounding US states to register or vote in Philippine elections or apply to reacquire their Philippine citizenship.