Binay received 13% kickbacks from Makati projects, says former ally
MANILA, Philippines — Former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado returned to the Senate on Thursday to detail the “kickbacks” that Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay allegedly received when he was still the city mayor.
Testifying before the Senate blue ribbon committee, Mercado also dragged the Vice President’s entire family into the mess— from his wife, former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, their senator-daughter, Nancy Binay, and incumbent city mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay.
He started his testimony with an allegation that the Vice President received 13 percent kickbacks per project when he was the city mayor.
“Alam po n’yo sa bawat project sa Makati, ang amin pong mayor ay nakikinabang ng 13 percent sa bawat proyekto,” he told the committee.
(You know, for every project in Makati, our mayor would get a 13% kickback.)
He even showed before the committee a slide presentation titled “Mayor Jejomar C. Binay, 13 percent kickbacks distribution” and sample bags where the alleged kickbacks were supposedly placed and delivered to the then mayor.
But in the visual presentation, Mercado showed three pieces of bags with different markings such as “J,” “E” and “G.”
Bag “J,” he said, was for the City Councilor and now Makati Mayor Binay, while Bag “E” allegedly went to a certain Ebeng Baloloy, whom he said was the personal secretary of the Vice President, while Bag “G” went to Gerry Limlingan, the Vice President’s financial officer.
Mercado said Bag “J” was for Binay’s family, while Bags “E” and “G” were for personal use and campaign of then Mayor Jejomar Binay.
He said he personally delivered Bag J to then councilor Junjun Binay in his office or in his residence, same with the two other bags intended for Baloloy and Limlingan.
But sometimes, he said, he delivered the bags to the office of then Mayor Jojo Binay if either his son or Limlingan was there.
There were times that he also had personally delivered the bags to the house of the Vice President.
“Maraming beses po at maraming pagkakataon lalo na po kung minsan sa umaga. Nakasakay na po sa sasakyan ko ‘yun at ako na po na mismo ang naghahatid sa kanilang bahay. Maraming beses po ‘yun, hindi isa, hindi dalawa. Maraming beses po ‘yun dahil sa mahabang panahon po ay ‘yun po ang naging aking papel,” Mercado said, responding to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s queries.
(I have done it several times especially during mornings. The bags were already loaded in my car, and I would personally deliver them to their house. I have done it several times because that used to be my role.)
Vice President Binay himself, he said, received the bags from him.
“Sasabihin ko sir, ito na po ‘yung ano. Sasabihin naman n’ya sa akin, itabi mo na lang d’yan pare at kukunin ni Junjun ‘yan,” said the former vice mayor.
(I would tell him here they are. He would say to just put them somewhere and that Junjun would just get them.)
Mercado said each bag contained at least P1.5 million to P2 million. But there was a time that each bag contained an estimated P10 million.
“Pero ‘pag unang linggo, pangalawang linggo, medyo maraming laman po ‘yung unang bag na napunta kay konsehal Jun-Jun dahil kasama na po roon ‘yung P2.4 million na para kay Dr. Binay na galing po sa kontrata ng basura,” he said.
(During the first and second weeks, the bags would still be filled with cash because it still contained P2.4 million for Dr. Binay from the garbage contract.)
Inside each bag, he said, were the list of projects and the names of contractors where the money supposedly came from.
“Ano po ba naman ang aking naging pakinabang dito? Ako po ay pinangakuan ni Mayor Jojo Binay at Engineer Morales na ako ay bibigyan ng halagang P120 million para sa kampanya ng aming buong partido pero ang actual ko lang po na natanggap sa unti-unting pagbibigay sa akin ay inabot ng P80 million,” he said, referring to former city engineer Nelson Morales, who was killed in Legaspi in 2012.
(What did I gain from this? Mayor Jojo Binay and Engineer Morales promised to give me P120 million for our party’s campaign funds, but the money that I received just amounted to P80 million.)
Mercado had earlier said that he and the Vice President used to be close friends and allies until they had a falling out after the latter supposedly failed to push for his mayoralty bid in the city.
He also claimed to have personally delivered money to now Senator Binay.
When Dr. Binay allegedly confronted him about money, Mercado recalled telling the wife of the Vice President who also became mayor or Makati: “E sabi ko, ninang, tinanong ko ho kayo kung saan dapat ipadala ‘yung pera n’yo, ang sabi n’yo ipadala sa bahay at ibigay kay Nancy. Si Senadora Nancy po ‘yun.”
(I told her, ‘I asked you where I should deliver your money, you told me to deliver and give it to Nancy.’ That’s Senator Nancy Binay.)
“Buti na lang ho at ako’y may logbook, kaming dalawa ni Engineer Morales ay may listahan. Aba’y sinabi ko kay kay Dra, ninang ito na ho yung na-deliver na namin sa inyo. Nagulat ho sya. E sabi nya, ‘sigurado ka ibinigay mo ito kay Nancy?’ ‘Opo.’ E di nawala ‘yung galit nya sa akin at galit kay engineer Morales dahil may patunay ho kami, may record kung sino ang tumanggap, ang pangalan ng tumanggap.”
(Good thing, I have a logbook. Engineer Morales and I have a list. I told her ‘These are what I already delivered to you.’ She was surprised. She asked me, ‘are you sure you gave these to Nancy?’ I said yes. Her anger toward me and Engineer Morales dissipated because we have a record of who received what.)
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