Former Pampanga mayor also claims seeing whistleblower Mercado in casino

A former mayor of a Pampanga town on Sunday corroborated Sen. Nancy Binay's claim that former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado was in a casino on Saturday night, saying the former official turned whistle-blower even went casino-hopping in the Clark Freeport and Angeles City.

"Totoo, nakita ko siya ... sa casino [sa] Widus," a transcript of an "ambush" interview attributed to former Candaba mayor Jerry Pelayo, read.

The transcript was distributed Sunday by the media bureau of the United Nationalist Alliance.

Pelayo purportedly was referring to Widus Hotel and Casino in Clark, Pampanga which according to its website has 52 gaming tables and 250 slot machines in a 3,000 square meter gaming area.

Binay in an interview said she saw Mercado at the Royce Hotel and Casino in the Clark Freeport in Mabalacat, also in Pampanga at around 3-4pm.

Pelayo meanwhile said he saw Mercado at Widus Hotel at around 9:30pm.

Mercado, a state witness in cases filed against the Binay family for their alleged involvement in irregularities , is under the government's Witness Protection Program (WPP).

During the last and final hearing of the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee probing the alleged anomalies in the Makati City government during Binay's term as mayor, Mercado asked the Senate panel to include in its report how whistle-blowers like him suffer due to restrictions imposed under the WPP.

“Hindi po ako nakakapaghanapbuhay nang malaya. Ako ho ay binabantayan ng security ng DOJ (Department of Justice) at ng ating kapulisan. So marami hong bagay na nawala sa ‘kin,” Mercado said in the January 26 hearing.

In October last year, Sandra Cam, the president of the Whistleblowers Association of the Philippines urged the justice department to remove Mercado from the WPP as the former vice mayor allegedly had a hand in the hiding of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother Mario who have been accused in the 2011 killing of environmentalist Gerardo "Gerry" Ortega.

Pelayo — a staunch ally of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who is now supporting Binay, an arch-critic of the former president — claimed he and Mercado even had a brief conversation at the casino-hotel's lobby where the latter allegedly admitted that he had lost heavily.

"Sabi niya natalo siya ... Kinausap niya ako. Sabi niya, paano niyan, talo na ako. Eh di kako, uwi ka na," he said.

Pelayo also confirmed Senator Binay's claim that Mercado had bodyguards with him.

"Oo meron (bodyguards). Ang lalaki ng katawan, may back up...
Well, siguro mga sampu-an. Pwede niyo ako i-quote diyan dahil totoo naman," he said.

"I think natalo na siya doon sa una kaya lumipat siya sa pangalawa," he added.

Pelayo said Mercado was leaving the hotel when they bumped into each other.

"Pauwi na siya ng Manila. At saka ang dami niya security ha. ‘Di ba may gun ban at saka bawal ngayon ang mga security? Even PNP, hindi ka pwede mag-security kahit sa mga, what’s this? Mga politicians," he said.

When told that Mercado was a government-protected witness and is thus, authorized to have bodyguards, Pelayo said: "Witness Protection nasa casino ka? Witness Protection nasa sabungan ka? And then nadadala mo ang security mo?"

Senator Binay said she will ask the justice department to explain why Mercado was allowed to wander in public.

Mercado on Saturday night neither confirmed nor deny Binay's claim that she saw him in the casino.

""Ayoko na siyang patulan. Wala akong pakialam kay Nancy Binay," he told GMA News Online late Saturday night. — APG, GMA News