Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippine—Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he is willing to apologize if proven wrong that Chinese-Filipino businessman Antonio Tiu was Vice President Jejomar Binay’s dummy in his alleged property in Batangas.
Trillanes claimed during Wednesday’s hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee that Binay had ties with Tiu, president of Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park, which operates a 350-hectare agricultural estate in Batangas.
The Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park was said to be the lessor of a piggery farm owned by the Binay family though his camp said he already divested himself of interest in the farm after he won the vice presidency in 2010.
“He’s a legitimate businessman and that makes him a perfect dummy for this Binay hacienda,” Trillanes said of Tiu in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.
Compared to the testimony of former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, which he said was “much more credible,”Trillanes said Tiu might not be able to survive an intense grilling when he testifies in the sub-committee hearing.
Asked if he would be willing to apologize to Tiu if proven wrong, the senator said: “Yes, I will. But I’m definite about this. We’re standing on a very, very solid ground…”
“Mr. Tony Tiu is a legitimate businessman, I understand, and I concede to that but not for this Hacienda Binay that we’re talking about,” Trillanes stressed.
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