Mercado’s claim that Binay got kickbacks from BSP-Alphaland deal ‘pure hearsay’
Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — “Pure hearsay,” was how an official of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) described the P200 million alleged kickbacks that Vice President Jejomar Binay supposedly got from its land deal with Alphaland Corp.
Binay, longtime president of BSP, has been accused by a former ally, ex-Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, of earning close to P200 million from the BSP-Alphaland deal for the development of a one-hectare prime property in Makati.
“Mr. Mercado’s claim that Vice President Binay received about P200 million from the transaction with Alphaland Makati Place Corporation is pure hearsay unless he can prove it with competent evidence,” Wendel Avisado, senior vice president and acting secretary-general of the BSP, said in a statement released to reporters by the Office of the Vice President on Friday.
Avisado said the BSP was not aware of any transaction with Alphaland outside of the joint venture agreement that Mercado himself had signed in his capacity as then senior vice president of the BSP.
The agreement, he said, was “entirely above board and underwent the required process and procedure.”
“In fact, the agreement was signed by then Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado himself when he was the Senior Vice President and Chairman of the Corporate Assets Management Committee of the BSP,” said the official.
“He is aware that the agreement was thoroughly discussed and approved by the BSP National Executive Board (NEB), the intention being to make the property earn money for the BSP,” he added.
Avisado lamented that the BSP was “unnecessarily” dragged into the controversy just because Mercado has been at odds with the Vice President.
“If he is truly working for the welfare and interest of the BSP and if there were indeed irregularities involved, then why did it take him close to seven years before divulging it to the public?” he asked.
“The BSP believes that all these are tainted with politics and the BSP will not allow politics to destroy it,” he added.
Despite this, Avisado hinted the BSP’s readiness to face the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, investigating the issue, saying it has nothing to hide.
“The BSP welcomes the subpoena to be issued by the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee requiring all its NEB (national executive board) members to attend its next hearing as it has nothing to hide and it is also confident that in the end the truth will come out,” he said.
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