Businessman Antonio Tiu. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — Antonio Tiu, the alleged dummy of Vice President Jejomar Binay, told the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) that he was only renting the controversial property in Batangas province, DAR Secretary Virgilo De Los Reyes himself told a Senate hearing on Thursday.
De Los Reyes told the committee that Tiu himself had told him that he was only renting the Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park during their conversation when he attended its launching last August.
“…During our conversation, I had in fact asked Mr. Tiu how he could have this area of land consolidated because there was a fence, and whether they have already taken into account agrarian reform laws…he said.. he had actually leased this particular parcel of land. And that was the gist of our conversation prior to the actual ceremony,” he said, responding to Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s question.
“Can you clarify. He (Tiu) said he leased it?” asked Cayetano.
“Yes sir, he said he leased it. He did not own it because if anyone owns that big parcel of land, then this will surely fall into our data base but our data base did not show any ownership…” said De Los Reyes.
Asked to confirm the Secretary’s statement, Tiu said: “Yes, your honor, I did tell the good Secretary that we have the usufruct over the…” but he ws interrupted by Cayetano, reminding him that the word he used was “lease” and not usufruct.
Senator Aqulino “Koko” Pimentel III, chairman of the commitee, then asked De Los Reyes whether the Tiu used the word “lease” or “usufruct.”
“My recollection your honor is lease because I was asking whether he had ownership,” said the DAR chief.
Tiu then explained that his conversation with De Los Reyes was about the Agrarian Reform Law, which he said did not permit an entity to own more than five hectares.
“So we’re using the usufruct and exercising right over the property,” he said.
But Cayetano pointed out that a memorandum of agreement pertaining to the property did not say “usufruct” but the sale of the property..
“Yeah, but there’s a curing period of two years for the seller to complete the conversion of the land title before the full payment can be executed,” said Tiu, who had told the committee that he had paid P11 million downpayment for the 150-hectare property, which he said was sold to him for P446 million.