MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay's taped media interview in which he admitted buying a property in Batangas was presented before the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee on Thursday.
In Binay's interview with journalist Raissa Robles in June 29, 2010, he admitted having a piggery on around 10 hectares of land in Batangas.
Asked by Robles if he inherited the land, Binay said he bought it for around 30 pesos per square meter.
Robles also told the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee that she conducted the interview with Binay in his Makati residence, where she noticed wrapped glass bowls labeled “Batangas” and “Alfonso.”
Ernesto Mercado, former Makati Vice Mayor and once Binay's ally, has accused the Vice President of owning a 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas.Binay's camp had claimed that he leased, not owned, a property in Rosario for JCB Farms.
Lawyer Martin Subido, Binay's legal counsel, said the Vice President never denied owning JCB Farms and had declared it in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
"From 1994 to 2010, the Vice President operated a piggery business in Rosario, Batangas. This piggery business was a sole proprietorship duly reported in his SALNs and in his ITRs," Subido said in a previous statement.
"The Vice President did not own any land where his piggery business was operated. Rather, he was a lessee of around nine hectares of land, with the improvements he introduced for the piggery business duly reported as 'Leasehold Improvements'," he added.
Subido explained that Binay sold in 2010 his piggery farm to Agrifortuna, Inc., a company owned by Laureano Gregorio.
Businessman Antonio Tiu had claimed that he and his company, Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp., had acquired the property from Gregorio.
Members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee, however, believe that Tiu only acts as Binay's dummy.
Read below a part of the interview published by Robles on her website:
Robles: There's another thing that I need to ask you, sir. Um, may nilabas na extensive report tungkol sa inyo ang Newsbreak. I think that was 2001. But according to them, sinagot niyo naman yung mga, yung mga allegations doon. What I want to ask you is – How many houses, condos, properties do you own?
Binay: Tipo lang ni Monsod ang nagsasabi niyan.
Robles: Hindi , hindi. I don’t care about Monsod, Sir.
Binay: Kasi inulit na naman yung charges na yan. Condos, bahay.
Robles: Hindi, pero, is it – I mean, ok. Personally, I mean , kung anuhin nyo yung family, how many do you own? Houses -
Binay: Yung bahay namin at saka yung bahay namin sa Batangas.
Robles: Wala nang condo?
Binay: Condo, dati yung anak ko nakatira sa condo. Ngayon nakatira sa bahay. ..
Robles: Ngayon sa bahay na lang.
Binay: O may bahay na siya. May isang bahay na siya. Siya na lang ang wala dito sa bahay namin.
Robles: Ah, Ok.
Binay: Lahat ng anak ko, at saka yung apo ko, second apo ko kay Abigail, yun lang ang wala dito.
Robles: Sir, yung Batangas is how many hectares?
Binay: Meron akong isang babuyan doon.
Robles: Mga 10 hectares? Eleven?
Binay: Ya.
Robles: Mga around 10 hectares. Namana nyo yoon?
Binay: Binili ko.
Robles: Aaah. Ok.
Binay: Mga 3 sentimos lang yata yon. 30 pesos.
Robles: Thirty-pesos per?
Binay: Per square meter.