P10-M payment by Binay camp to witness bared in exchange for silence

By: Maila Ager - 10 years ago

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA , Philippines 鈥� The camp of Vice听President听Jejomar Binay allegedly paid a听witness P10 million听to prevent him from appearing before the Senate听blue ribbon听subcommittee听investigating the controversial听Makati City Hall 2 parking building, Senator听Antonio听Trillanes IV听disclosed on Wednesday.

Trillanes made the expose after听former听Makati听Vice Mayor Ernesto听Mercado told the听subcommittee that he was听offered听money to stop听him听from testifying听in the Senate.

Mercado said that听after听he听first听appeared and testified听before听the committee, he was approached听by their common friends, requesting听him to stop talking against the Vice听President.

鈥淢erong mga pahapyaw kung ano ang kailangan, ibibigay huwag lang ako magsalita o wag ko na lang dadagdagan ang sasabihin. Pero tinanggihan ko po yun,鈥澨齢e said.

(There are hints that whatever I need will be given as long as I stop talking or I no longer add to what has been said. But I rejected this.)

鈥淣agsalita听po ako ulit sa apat na pagdinig. Lumaki na ho ang ante.听Wala ng halagang sinasabi kundi magkano ba ang halagang kelangan kong听kapalit para hindi na magsalita. Ang sagot ko po sa ibat ibang kaibigan namin ni VP听Binay, walang halaga ang pagkatao ni Nestor Mercado. Hindi ko po kelangan yung pera鈥︹€澨齅ercado听added.

(I have spoken in four hearings. The ante has been raised. My testimony has become worthless and that what matters is how it will cost in exchange for my silence. My response to my common friends with VP Binay is that I have no price. I don鈥檛 need money . . .)

Trillanes backed Mercado鈥檚 claim.

鈥淵ang regarding sa pagaalok ng pera kay听Vice Mayor Mercado ma-attest ko rin yan dahil alam nyo ho in the course of these proceedings , ito pong isang听testigo, yung dating city engineer Nelson Irasga ay dapat makukuha naming testigo dito subalit sya po ay binayaran ng kampo ni VP Binay ng P10 million at ito ay sinabi sa amin,鈥澨齭aid the senator.

(Regarding the offer of money to Vice Mayor Mercado, I can attest to that because in the course of these proceedings, this one witness, the former city engineer Nelson Irasga who we should have taken in as witness backed out because he was allegedly paid P10 million by the camp of VP Binay and this was revealed to us.)

鈥淜ada hearing yun听kaya ng patuloy ang paghikayat namin kay Nelson Irasga para kukubra lang sya ng听P10 million kasi the moment na huminto听yung pagbigay nya ay lalabas na dito si Engineer Nelson Irasga,鈥澨齌rillanes added.

(Every hearing, we have tried to entice Nelson Irasga who has been receiving money abd the moment this stops, he will testify.)

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