Ex-Bulacan governor files libel raps vs ex-Makati exec

MALOLOS, Philippines – Former Bulacan governor Roberto Pagdanganan yesterday filed libel charges against former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado for involving him in a plunder case.

In his complaint filed with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Pagdanganan said Mercado’s claims were false, baseless and misleading.

“The statements portrayed me and the officials of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) as corrupt and incompetent,” Pagdanganan said.

“I was not even present when the agreement was approved, and he knows it,” he added.

Pagdanganan is seeking P10 million  in moral damages from Mercado.

In previous Senate hearings, Mercado accused Pagdanganan, Vice President Jejomar Binay and 15 officials of the BSP of plunder for failing to account for the P3 billion income generated by a joint venture between the BSP and a property development company.