Listed owners of parts of Batangas property have VP Binay ties

A map and documents from a group supporting former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado have identified different owners of parts of the Batangas property purportedly belongs to Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The listed owners, according to GMA News Research, have links to the vice president.

Three hectares of the estate is under the name of Francisco Baloloy, according to some land titles and a map.

Mercado has said Francisco's wife, Ebeng Baloloy, is a secretary of the Vice President and among those who have received Binay's kickbacks placed in bags.

Another three hectares and a 2.6-hectare parcel are in the name of Ebeng's siblings, Romeo Duenas and Cresenciano Duenas, respectively.

Documents also point to Edgardo Lacson as among the owners of the property. According to documents obtained by GMA News Research, Lacson is the president of Metrostores Inc. and chairman of the board of Green Fort Chem Inc. -- companies that have won at least P1.5 million worth of  contracts in Makati City.

He is also the treasurer of JC Binay Foundation, a Securities and Exchange Commission document showed.

Lacson has confirmed that he owns two to three hectares of land in the Rosario, Batangas property and bought it at P30 to P40 per square meter.

He said Limlingan, Binay's former finance officer, invited him to purchase part of the property. Lacson said Binay and Limlingan are his friends.

According to Mercado, another Binay ally, Makati Councilor Ferdinand Eusebio, owns 1.5 hectares of the controversial hacienda. Eusebio is one of the individuals facing plunder charges at the Ombudsman in relation to alleged overpricing in the Makati City Hall building II.

A former driver and security of Binay, Renato Comia Sr., owns part of the property where the piggery is located, Mercado said. Comia allegedly owns eight land titles for 21 hectares.

Binay has denied ownership of the land, saying his family has only rented a part of the property for their piggery business and orchid farm.

After the piggery was sold to Laureano Gregorio, Binay said his family only rents the space where the orchids farm is located.

Businessman Antonio Tiu has said he bought 145 hectares priced at P446 million from Gregorio and has so far paid 11 million.

Tiu explained he is not interested in getting into the piggery business, and only bought part of the land that could be used for Agri-Tourism. — Kathryn Mae P. Tubadeza/ELR, GMA News