Lawyer to resign if Binay's SALN proven inaccurate

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay is standing by his Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) amid allegations that he has hidden wealth.

In an interview with ANC's Headstart on Monday, lawyer Princess Turgano said she is even ready to quit her job if proven that Binay's SALN is inaccurate.

"It's to show everyone of how much I believe in the SALN of the Vice President," Turgano told program host Karen Davila.

"Naniniwala ako na hindi nagsisinungaling ang ating Bise Pangulo at na ang kanyang SALN ay totoo," she added.

During the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee hearing last week, former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado accused Binay of owning a 8,877-square meter land near Fort Bonifacio.

Mercado, a former ally of Binay, said the property is not reflected in any of the Vice President's SALNs because it is under the name of businesswoman Erlinda Chong.

"Isa ho sila sa mga nagiging front ni Vice President Jejomar Binay sa mga ganitong property na dapat mailihis o maitago sa kanilang pangalan," Mercado said of Chong, whose husband is supposedly a badminton buddy of Binay.

Mercado said all the business establishments on the property are also owned by Binay and Chong. He said these are managed by Gerry Limlingan, Binay's reported finance officer.

Despite these allegations, Turgano insists that the properties Binay declared in his SALN are his only assets.

"We stand by our SALN and these are the only properties of the Vice President," Turgano said.

Ahead of the Senate hearing last week, Turgano presented the Binay's SALNs to the media and detailed his accumulated wealth from 1989 to 2013.

READ: Binay's net worth rose by P57M in 25 years

Turgano believes that the presentation of Binay's SALN helped the Vice President amid calls for a lifestyle check for officials accused of committing corrupt acts.

"By showing the SALN, we were able to show that if the Vice President did increased his net worth, it's because of hardwork," Turgano said.

Binay and his son, incumbent Makati City Mayor Erwin Binay, are facing a plunder complaint for allegedly benefiting from the supposedly overpriced Makati City Hall II parking building.

Binay has also been accused of earning kickbacks from all projects in the city and of rigging project biddings to favor certain companies. - Louis Bacani