Binay sold Tagaytay property in 2012, says lawyer

By: Tarra Quismundo - 10 years ago

The 350-hectare property allegedly owned by the Binay family

MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay sold his Tagaytay property in 2012, contrary to the claims of former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, Binay legal counsel Martin Subido said on Friday.

“The Tagaytay property was sold in December 2012 to Constant Builders. The change in the title ownership is being processed by (the Bureau of Internal Revenue). The property is listed in his (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth),” Subido said in a statement.

Subido said that Binay, whom his former ally Mercado had accused of taking kickbacks from government projects, no longer owned the 5,000-square-meter property contrary to Mercado’s claims during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

350-ha estate

At the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing, Mercado also claimed that the Binay family owned a 350-ha estate in Rosario, Batangas province.

The Binay camp, however, denied this and said that the Vice President’s family only leased a portion of the sprawling property for the JCB Farms, which he sold in 2010. The vast estate was under the name of Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp., the Binay camp added.

“This is proof that Mercado is deceiving the public because he made it appear that (the Tagaytay property) still belongs to the Vice President when it was already sold long ago. Just like his deception on the Rosario, Batangas, property that was never a property of the VP at all,” said lawyer JV Bautista, interim secretary of the Binay-led United Nationalist Alliance.

De Lima biased

Bautista also blasted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for calling Mercado a “credible” witness, and said that this showed her bias against Binay. The justice chief earlier said the whistle-blowers against the Binays showed credibility as they have firsthand information about the alleged anomalies.

“By claiming that Mercado is a credible witness, she betrays her own bias and prejudice against VP Binay,” Bautista said in a separate statement.

“A true professional appraisal of the ‘testimonies’ of Mercado will show that they are speculative, self-serving and coming from (a) polluted source—a witness who has an ax to grind against VP Binay,” the lawyer added.

Mercado and other whistle-blowers against Binay—Renato Bondal and Nicolas Enciso—are under the justice department’s Witness Protection Program.

No comment

Binay’s camp refused to comment on Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s statement on Friday that accused the Vice President of betraying public trust by refusing to appear before the Senate hearing.

Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza said the Senate inquiry was “an inquisition.”

“It would be silly for the VP to attend a Senate inquiry where the senators have already prejudged the outcome. City officials, auditors and contractors are bullied, intimidated and threatened with administrative cases while those who accuse the VP are treated with kid gloves despite glaring contradictions and inconsistencies in their statements,” Atienza said in a statement.

“It is not a Senate hearing but an inquisition, so why will the VP appear?,” he added.