Binay accusers get protection

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday said she has approved the admission of former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, lawyer Renato Bondal and Nicolas Enciso VI into the Witness Protection Program (WPP) upon recommendation of the Senate.

The three have accused Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. in a Senate inquiry of taking kickbacks through the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building 2.

Bondal and Enciso filed plunder charges against the Binays before the Ombudsman in July for the alleged overpricing of the P2.28-billion city-funded building—an 11-story car park-office facility. They faced a Senate inquiry last month to testify that the Binays, along with other officials, had conspired to take kickbacks from the deal.

Mercado, formerly a political ally of the Binays, testified on Thursday that he had received P80 million in kickbacks from the project. He also told the Senate that it was customary for the elder Binay to take 13 percent out of the funding for major Makati projects during his time as mayor.

“The three have been admitted (into the WPP). The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommended it to the Senate President and, later, he recommended the approval pursuant to the provisions of the WPP Law,” De Lima told reporters yesterday.

“When it’s a Senate inquiry, we give really great weight on the recommendation of the Senate, because the Senate, especially the committee concerned, knows the relevance, materiality, and importance of a particular witness covered under thee WPP,” she said.

She said the three witnesses will be provided full WPP coverage, including security and temporary shelter, if they wish to move to a safe house.

“It’s for security protection, especially if they are on witness duty. When they appear before any appropriate body, like the Senate, the Ombudsman or anywhere there are proceedings, they are entitled to security protection. They are also entitled to temporary shelter, but that’s voluntary,” said De Lima.

De Lima said she has yet to see any formal request to place another witness, engineer Mario Hechanova, under the WPP.

A former city official and member of the Makati City bids and awards committee, Hechanova had testified in the Senate that bidding for the building in question had been rigged to favor the Binays’ pre-selected contractor Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.

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