UNA dares Ernesto Mercado to undergo lifestyle check

The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party said that former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado should undergo a lifestyle check, a report from GMA's “24-Oras” said Wednesday.

 

According to UNA which is led by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Mercado owns questionable properties in various parts of the country which could be used against him including:

 

- A garden hotel and resort in La Jala Coron, Palawan

- Villa-resort Villa Juanita in Coron, Palawan

- Grand Villa Pateros in Brgy. Aguho, Pateros

- Grand Villa and Butterfly Center in Los Banos, Laguna

- Hunter Valley plantation and resort in Cabanatuan, Nueva ecija

- Poultry farm in Palayan, Nueva Ecija

- Properties in West Rembo, Makati City and in Laur, Nueva Ecija

 

“Saan galing ang mga kayamanang ito ni Mercado? Ito ang ebidensiya kung paano siya nagpayaman sa puwesto,” UNA Interim President and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said.

 

UNA added that some of the properties were at least a hundred hectares in size particularly the properties in Palawan.

 

Meanwhile, Mercado who is among the primary whistleblowers against Binay said that he was willing to undergo a lifestyle check.

 

He also confirmed that he owned the Palawan properties UNA mentioned but said its size was onle one hectare and not over a hundred hectares.

 

Mercado also explained that the property was pegged at around P40 million and was not included in his state of assets liabilities and net worth since he bought it after his stint as a government official in Makati City.

 

Aside from this he said they also owned the proeprties mentioned by UNA in Pateros, Laguna and Nueva Ecija but opposed the hundred hectare size estimate.

 

In Mercado's latest SALN in 2009, his net worth was estimated at almost P68 million with seventeen real estate properties under his name.

 

He also declared business investments worth around P23 million and stock investments worth around P20 million. —Andrei Medina/NB, GMA News