© Provided by ABS-CBNnews.com l Dharel Placido
MANILA – Former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado said Monday more witnesses and pieces of evidence against Vice President Jejomar Binay will be presented in the Senate hearing next week.
Speaking to dzMM, Mercado said more witnesses have come forward and are ready to testify in the September 25 Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.
Mercado, a former ally of the vice president, also claimed that more pieces of evidence linking the Binays to the alleged anomalies in the city's projects have surfaced.
''Marami na ngayon ang tumatapang-tapang na dating government officials na handan ring humarap sa Senado, para patunayan ang sinasabi laban sa kanya,'' he said.
''Ako rin ay natutuwa at nagdadatingan ang mga iba't ibang papeles dito sa aking opisina. Marami nga lang ang natatakot na humarap, pero kung mao-obserbahan mo, nagpapadala sila ng papeles sa amin, sasabihin, 'Sir eto pa, sir eto pa."
Mercado earlier said Binay would get kickbacks worth 13 percent of the cost of every project, including the allegedly overpriced P2.3 billion Makati City Hall Building 2.
He said he would personally deliver bags containing millions in cash to Binay's personal assistant, a certain ''Ebeng,'' for Binay's personal funds; his finance officer Gerry Limlingan for his campaign kitty; and to the family of then Councilor Junjun Binay.
The Binays have repeatedly denied there were irregularities in the city's projects, saying the allegations against them were obviously politically motivated.
The Binay camp also questioned the inclusion of Morales in the government's witness protection program, considering the latter had already admitted receiving kickbacks from the city government projects.
'Nothing new from VP Binay'
Mercado said he expects nothing new will come from Binay when the latter delivers his speech this week.
The vice president was supposed to deliver his speech today, but he postponed it so he could visit the typhoon-hit areas in Northern Luzon.
''Ang sasabihin niya katulad ng dating linya eh, 'Pulitika lang,''' he said.
''Expected ko na kung ano ang sasabihin niya. Ang pinagtataka ko lang hindi nagsasalita si VP Binay para sagutin ang tungkol sa overprice ng Makati parking building… laging nililiko sa kaliwa, sa kanan, ayaw tumbukin iyong sagot."
The former vice mayor also defended himself from the Binay camp's observation that there were inconsistencies in the tone of his testimonies during the two instances he appeared in the Senate.
''Wala naman ako balak sanang humarap sa Senado, kung di lang naman ako pinag-ladlaran ni Mayor Junjun Binay na bakit 'di raw ako sinama sa kaso samantalang nandoon ako sa city government nung nagsimula ang parking building,'' he said, referring to the the plunder charges filed against Jejomar and Junjun Binay, and other Makati officials.
''Kaya nung panahon na iyon tipid ang aking salita, kasi kailangan magkonsulta muna ako sa aking abugado."
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