(Updated 3:30 p.m.) The antigraft court's order to seize the "Boracay mansion" supposedly owned by former President Joseph Estrada has hit a legal snag: Estrada is no longer the mansion's owner.

Radio dzBB reported Friday that the mansion, a piece of property said to have been procured using money from the illegal numbers game jueteng, has been the property of the Quezon City government since 2005.

The report said the Quezon City government bid out the mansion as early as September 2005.
The auction came after no one paid the P1.2 million real estate taxes for the 7,400 square-meter property in New Manila.

No one participated in the bidding, effectively making the mansion the property of the city government under Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr, an ally of the Arroyo government, the report said.

This was confirmed by QC Treasurer Victor Endriga who said that the prime property located at No.100, 11th St., New Manila, has been claimed by the city government after its owners failed to settle their tax obligations.

In a previous auction, Endriga said none placed a bid for the property. Therefore, it was deemed "automatically sold to the QC government."

Endriga explained the city government already owned the said property even before the Estrada's conviction. He said the city government has been confiscating real properties of delinquent property owners as part of the city's effort to improve its tax collection.

The city treasurer said instead of offering amnesty to delinquent property owners, the city auctions off the properties in question.

The owners, Endriga explained, could have redeemed the property if they managed to settle its obligations of P1.292,842 in taxes and P440,741.72 in penalties amounting to a total of P1,733,584.

Endriga said the Boracay mansion, which was registered to St. Peter Holdings Corp., was among the properties that has been on the their delinquent list since 2000.

He said the city treasurer's office has sent notices to St. Peter Holdings Corp. with a mailing address at Strata 100 building in Ortigas Center in Pasig City, but the office was already abandoned.

The city treasurer said they will inform the Sandiganbayan about the status of the Boracay mansion and promise to conform with whatever order the anti-graft court will issue regarding the property.

Under the law, once a property is under warrant, it cannot be sold or used as collateral. During public auctions, property owners may participate. The bidding starts with the amount of delinquency payments on a particular property.

The palatial P142-million 'Boracay mansion' was said to be owned by the deposed president and was purchased with illicit proceeds given by gambling operators.

The order to forfeit the Boracay mansion was issued by the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday when it pronounced Estrada guilty of the crime of plunder.

Aside from the mansion, the antigraft court also ordered the forfeiture of P545.291 million plus interest and income and the P189 million worth of Jose Velarde accounts including interest and income earned.

Estrada was accused of violating Republic Act No. 7080 for allegedly receiving P545-million protection money from jueteng operators; diverting P130-million tobacco excise tax share of Ilocos Sur; receiving P189.7-million kickback from Belle Corp. for GSIS, SSS purchase of P1.8-billion worth of shares of stocks and maintaining P3.23-billion "Jose Velarde" account with Equitable-PCIBank Binondo, Manila branch. - GMANews.TV