Mercado sued for libel

Former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

TOP OFFICIALS of Alphaland Corporation on Thursday filed a third libel suit against former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado in connection with the latter’s allegations of a sweetheart deal between the company and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“As we have said time and again, the Alphaland-Boy Scouts deal is one of the best, if not the best deal that the Boy Scouts ever made,” Roberto Ongpin, Alphaland chair and chief executive officer, said in a press statement.

The statement was issued by Ongpin after jointly filing with Alphaland president Mario Oreta another libel complaint before the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly malicious statements uttered by Mercado when he filed a plunder complaint against Binay and the members of the Boy Scouts board last Oct. 6.

“The deal between Alphaland and the Boy Scouts is above board and transparent. Definitely, no plunder was committed by anyone.  From P600 million in value in 2008, the assets of the Boy Scouts is now worth some P3 billion.  It is a great mystery why Mercado is now attacking his own deal which he successfully negotiated,” Oreta said.

“Mercado should even be given a medal for negotiating and concluding this deal,” remarked Ongpin.  Mercado, who used to be Boy Scouts senior vice president, signed the deal on behalf of the Boy Scouts.

The controversial one-hectare property at the corner of Malugay Street and Ayala Avenue Extension in Makati City has become the site of the Alphaland Makati Place project which consists of a six-storey podium and three residential towers.

Earlier in February, Ongpin and Oreta also separately filed criminal libel complaints against Mercado for allegedly malicious press statements made in the Senate.