LIKE ITS OWNERSHIP, the so-called Binay estate is a labyrinth of pathways leading and misleading there and everywhere. This is the central part of the maze garden in the 350-hectare property in Rosario town, Batangas province, that former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado says belongs to Vice President Jejomar Binay, who has vehemently denied ownership. Mercado says the maze garden is patterned after but larger than the Kew Gardens in London, which was developed and used by members of British royalty. RAFFY LERMA
Video by INQUIRER.net’s Ryan Leagogo
ROSARIO, Batangas—Behind a dirt road and a nondescript gate stood a vast property with paved roads, manicured gardens and pavilions, which critics of Vice President Jejomar Binay said was his hacienda.
No sign on the gate identified it as the 145-hectare Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park that Antonio Tiu said he owns.
All these, plus the features of the main house, indicate to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that the property was not a tourism park for public consumption as claimed, but was a “lavish” and “paradise-like” estate and private rest house of the Binay family.
“This was never meant to be a tourism site,” Trillanes said.
He said he insisted on opening up the property to the media to show the two worlds of Binay.
“In one world, he pretends he’s propoor. He says he comes from the poor. He looks poor,” he said.
“But in his secret world he lives a kingly lifestyle,” he added.
Directional signs lacking
According to Trillanes, the lack of directional signs for one indicate that it was not intended to attract visitors. He even got lost going to the site, he noted.
The Sunchamp farm was officially launched this year, and he was even a guest there, but he has seen no improvements to indicate it was being renovated to accommodate an influx of visitors.
It has no cafeteria for visitors, no public toilets, not even a front desk, he pointed out.
“If you’re not ready, why did you launch it?” he said.
Signs lost to typhoon
Tiu said the improvements on the property were being done in installments. He also said there were signs for the property, but these were destroyed during the recent storms.
“You went around. You can see if we’re hiding anything and you can compare it to the narration of Mr. Mercado,” he said, referring to former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, who claimed that the property was Binay’s.
As for impressions that Binay owned it, he said the Vice President’s wife Elenita visits her
9-hectare orchid farm on the property, and that view could have come from seeing her there. Tiu said he was sure she visits the place more than he does.
Asked if the Binay family stayed at the main house on the property, he said the place was not ready for accommodation purposes.
As for the view that the place was lavish, he said that for a business, it was nothing. It may be lavish if only for personal use, he said.
Toilet with chandelier
Trillanes also said the main house, which Tiu said was the clubhouse, was more of a private rest house for vacations.
The house features a fountain in the front yard and views of rolling greens and landscaped gardens.
It was not spanking new, but the furnishings it had were wooden and appeared like antiques. The house was also filled with antique religious images and figurines.
The master bedroom had a spacious modern bathroom with a chandelier, and one of the cabinets contained a safe.
The common bathroom was not as swanky as that of the master bedroom. A blue plastic pail was seen in the shower.
The beds in the other rooms did not have sheets. One of the walls showed a nail sticking out, indicating that a picture used to hang there.
Tiu said that since he bought the place, the previous owner took down his pictures.
P100 per person
The Sunchamp park has temporarily stopped operating because of the controversy generated by the Senate probe on the Makati issues, but it was previously opened to the public, according to Tiu.
He said students had visited it. The agri-tourism park charged P100 per person.
He also said he was set to renovate the rest house to turn it into a clubhouse more apt for the place.
Tiu brought his visitors to the garage, which Mercado said could accommodate 40 cars. But it appeared to be able to accommodate only about 20.
The farm featured a signpost pointing to the direction of the different amenities of the place.
There was no sign bearing the name Binay, but Trillanes said Tiu could not prove he owns the place either.
Visitors saw the maze garden, which Mercado said was modeled after London’s Kew Gardens.
Romantic
An observation tower was located next to the garden, and at the top, one can view the garden from the air to appreciate its design.
Near the garden was a man-made lagoon spanned by a bridge, which one observer said was perfect for prenuptial pictorials because it looked romantic.
At one of end of the bridge was the maze garden, pavilion and koi pond. Upon crossing the bridge, a mini zoo could be found featuring different kinds of birds.
The property also had a hotel, but Tiu said this was booked and occupied by a nearby plantation.
The property was so vast that it would be difficult to explore it on foot.
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