Ex-ally says VP Binay owns units in 60 percent of Makati condos

Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado on Tuesday alleged before the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee that presumptive presidential candidate, Vice President Jejomar Binay, was given units in 60 to 70 percent of condominium buildings in the city in exchange for faster processing of permits, tax relief and other privileges for the developers.

However, Mercado, the main whistleblower against Binay over the past several hearings, presented alleged evidence of Binay's ownership of units in only six condominium units. He also named the former Makati mayor's alleged dummies in owning the pieces of property.

"Ito naman ay di lang ngayon pinaguusapan kundi pinag uusapan sa mahabang panahon na sinasabi na si VP Binay may unit sa lahat ng condo sa Makati. Sinasabi ko naman, di naman lahat. Siguro mga 60%-70% lang naman," Mercado said in the 12th hearing of the subcommittee on the alleged cases of corruption in Makati during Binay's mayoralty.

Mercado said that when developers applied for building permits, they were told that the evaluation of, for example, a 45-storey condominium would take at least three months as the engineer who would do it only works from 8 am to 5 pm.

 

“Pero kung bibigyan ng overtime (fee) yan e mabibilis yan. Ngayon sinong developer ang hindi magbibigay ng overtime para kapalit na hindi siya maghintay ng tatlong buwan. So meron nang deal sa building permit pa lang,” Mercado said.

 

He said when the developers secured an occupancy permit for the assessment for real property tax to be paid, another deal would be struck.

 

“Syempre makikipag-haggle yung may-ari, sasabihin baka naman pwedeng iadjust ng isang taon yung occupancy permit ko. Isang taon na ulit ang mananakaw na taxes. E bakit ka naman hindi magbibigay ng condominium unit kung ang matitipid mo ay P40 million pag inadjust ng isang taon yung bayad ng taxes,” he said.

 

“E yung hinihinging condo na isa o dalawang unit ay halagang P30 million lang aba e papayag ka na. Yan ang dahilan kung bakit open secret na si Vice President sa kanyang panunungkulan ay may unit kada building. Hindi naman siguro lahat pero baka 60 percent,” Mercado added.

 

He said the Binays used dummies in order to hide their ownership of the condominium units.

 

He said Binay has a 150-square meter unit in The Peak Condominium, which is named under Engineer Ariel Olivar who was the surveyor of Hacienda Binay in Rosario, Batangas.

 

Mercado said Olivar executed a sworn affidavit, which was handed to him Tuesday morning, stating that he was not the real owner of the unit.

 

“I am not the true and beneficial owner of the property. I am not the purchaser nor have in anytime exercise any act of ownership over the property. My name was registered as owner to conceal the identity of the true owner of the property. I know the true owner of the property to be Vice President Jejomar Binay,” Olivar said in the affidavit which was read by Mercado.

 

Olivar was not present during the hearing.

 

Mercado asked the National Bureau of Investigation and the Ombudsman to check the unit as someone was already leasing it.

 

“Meron daw nakaupa dun ngayon. Kanino po kaya nagli-lease yung tao dun? 101 percent sabi ni Olivar  na hindi siya pumipirma ng anumang lease contract,” he said.

 

Mercado said Olivar wanted to surface for fear that the Bureau of Internal Revenue would go after him for owning such a condominium unit.

Other units
 

The former Makati official also said Binay has a unit at Le Triomphes Condo in 375 HV dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village which was under the name of Celso Santiago, who was the uncle of Dra. Elenita Binay, the Vice President’s wife.

 

He said the letter for Santiago dated 1994 was addressed to Ruben Sta. Ana of the Makati City Engineering Office.

 

“Dating kanang kamay ni former city engineer Nelson Irasga. Ang nagtatransaksyon dyan (sa condominium) e sa engineering department,” Mercado said.

 

There was also a unit in Makati Sunrise Towers Hotel (now Berjaya Hotel), at Makati Avenue and Eduque streets in Bel Air, under the name of Santiago.

 

Mercado said Binay placed a unit of Perla Compania de Seguros Mansion Condotel under the name of Benjamin Zapanta, owner of contractor BD Zapanta and one of the contractors of Makati City government projects.

 

He added a unit at Prince Plaza II Condotel was under the name of Santos Panlilio, one of the favorite contractors of Binay, while a unit at Avignon Tower was under the name of Aurora Panlilio, wife of Santos Panlilio.

                                                   

The camp of Binay denied the allegations of Mercado.

VP Binay’s camp: Peak Tower unit is Mercado’s
 

In a press statement, Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, Binay’s spokesperson for political affairs, said it was Mercado who was the real owner of the unit at Peak Tower.

 

He said this was the same unit where Racquel Ambrosio, former live-in partner of Mercado and daughter of the late comedian Babalu, lived. He said that was also the location of the shooting incident in which Mercado was considered by the police as the prime suspect.

 

“On April 24, 2002, Ambrosio died from a gunshot wound to the stomach. The gun used in the shooting was registered to Mercado. He surrendered the gun a day after the incident and even admitted to cleaning the crime scene. The couple had an altercation before the incident,” he said.

 

“We challenge Mr. Olivar to divulge all properties under his name. He is known to be a dummy of Mr. Mercado,” Remulla said.

 

Mercado said Remulla’s statement was not true.

 

“Salamat kung akin ho ulit yan, meron na ulit tayong ipapamigay kung sakali,” he said.

 

Remulla asked how can a supposed dummy of the Vice President be on the same manifest of the chartered helicopter used to take aerial photos and videos of the Sunchamp property on October 2.

 

“It is only too clear that Mercado’s agenda is to fool the public and cover up his ownership of many undeclared properties. This is also yet another one of Mercado’s lies,” he said.

 

“Take for example the alleged architectural services contract he claims was allegedly signed by Mrs. Binay and an architect that out to be a forgery. Then there are the receipts from Tagaytay Highlands which do not prove ownership of a log cabin as Mercado has claimed, a fact attested to by the corporation that runs Tagaytay Highlands. We should also bear in mind that the ocular inspection of the Sunchamp property revealed that Mercado’s claim of the air-conditioned piggery was nothing but a hoax,” Remulla said. —NB, GMA News