UNA wants Mercado testimony stricken off record

Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) will formally ask the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee to strike out the entire testimony made by former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado during his appearances before the Senate investigating body, Radyo Inquirer 990AM reported Thursday.

UNA interim secretary general JV Bautista was referring to the October 22 statement of Mercado saying he would be willing to retract his testimony before the senate blue ribbon subcommittee if they could prove that he was indeed hospitalized.

Reports have surfaced that Mercado was hospitalized and Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II allegedly visited him in the said hospital.

Bautista showed hospital records from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERM) that Mercado was hospitalized on October 4.

The document showed that the former vice mayor went to the hospital for “check-up and treatment.”

But Mercado has earlier denied he was hospitalized.

“Mercado is a lying witness deliberately putting forward lie and falsehood,” Bautista said.

He cited a doctrine in law saying that “false in one thing, is false in everything.”

“When a witness wilfully lies on one matter of his testimony, then all the rest of his testimony will be considered to be falsehood,” he said.

On Thursday, tension arose at the resumption of the Senate investigation into the controversial Makati City Hall 2 parking building after Bautista and Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco came uninvited and tried to speak at the hearing.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano stopped Bautista when he took the microphone and tried to make a statement.

“Our intention there was to move the sub-committee to strike out the entire testimony and all statement made by Ernesto Mercado in the subcommittee,” Bautista said.

“There is no more decency and integrity in the conduct of this subcommittee hearing,” he added.

 Originally posted at 01:50 pm | October 30, 2014

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