Former Vice mayor of Makati Ernesto Mercado making a statement in the senate against VP Jejomar Binay on the alleged corruption in the construction of the Makati city hall parking building. CATHY MIRANDA/黑料社
MANILA, Philippines鈥揤ice President Jejomar Binay had benefited from the allegedly overpriced parking building听in Makati City,听his former ally told a Senate hearing on听Tuesday.
Former Makati Vice Mayor听Ernesto Mercado听made this allegation after he admitted before the Senate blue ribbon committee that听he himself听benefited from听the Makati听City Hall parking building, which was听completed in 2013.
Mercado鈥檚 admission听came听after听Senator Antonio Trillanes IV asked听him directly听if听he benefited from the said project.
鈥淎ng lalim听ho naman yata ng tanong ni Ginoong Trillanes. Mukhang nahuli ho n鈥檡o yata ako..Pero alam ho ninyo, hindi ho talaga ako sinungaling. Ako ho ay magsasabi ng totoo dahil pagtatawanan naman ho ako ng taumbayan at ninyong lahat鈥︹�澨� he said.
(That was a difficult question by Mr. Trillanes. It seems like you caught me. But you know, I am not a liar. I will only tell the truth because you and the people will only laugh at me (if I don鈥檛 tell the truth).)
鈥淎ko ho aaminin ko sa inyo dun sa听phase 1 at phase 2 nakinabang po ako,鈥澨� Mercado said.
When Trillanes asked听if听the Vice President, who was the city mayor when the project started in 2007, also benefited, Mercado said: 鈥淎lam po ninyo tayo namang mga pulitiko, alam natin ang sagot du鈥檔 e. Kung ang vice mayor po ay nakinabang ay siguro po higit na nakinabang po ang mayor dito.鈥�
(I will admit to you that I benefited from phases 1 and 2. We politicians all know that when I, as vice mayor, benefited, surely, the mayor benefited more.)
鈥淜asi ako naman ho ay hindi pumipirma ng kontrata e. Tinatanong n鈥檡o lang din naman po ako ng tapatan, 鈥榶un po ang aking sagot. Kung ako ho ay nakinabang, imposible ho namang hindi din nakinabang ang aking mayor.鈥�
(I do not sign contracts. You asked me straight up and that is my answer. If I benefited (from it), then it is impossible that the mayor did not benefit (from it).)
When Trillanes asked for a categorical question whether or not the Vice President听benefited from the听project,听Mercado answered: 鈥極po (Yes).鈥�
Senator听Aqulino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel III, who was presiding over the hearing, then asked听if听Mercado鈥檚 statement was based on his personal knowledge or just an 鈥渋mplication鈥� that because he benefited from it, his mayor must have also gained from it.
鈥溾�橸an naman po ang kalakaran ho (That is how the system goes),鈥澨� Mercado said.
鈥淣aging automatic conclusion mo na lang 鈥榶un (Was that your automatic conclusion)?鈥� Pimentel further asked.
But Trillanes interrupted and said: 鈥淢r. Chairman, I think na-establish naman ho ni Vice Mayor Mercado na matagal silang magkasama (Mr. Chairman, I think Vice Mayor Mercado has already established that he and (Binay) have been together for quite some time)鈥︹��
At the start of his testimony,听Mercado听was shocked to learn that the cost of the 11-story parking building was P2.7 billion when it was only estimated at P1.2 billion.
Mercado was still the听vice mayor during phases 1 and 2 of the project.
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