THE LORD OF CAN BINAY EXPLAIN HIS WEALTH? By MIRIAM GRACE A. GO in 1998 and replaced early | accumulation of tremendous this year after the tsa 2 srealth, tis sad that Binay n less than a decade, Jejomar “Jojo” Binay, Se Rk etins | plmaiia tie cubajer tr former chair of the Metro Manila Development ye most popular politician | betwen the city's bud Authority (MMDA) and former mayor of tnkatl CXQ’s poor whw | contractors and permits Makati, accumulated at least P80 million worth | constitute the majority of Use | offials, ks common know! of real estate f city’s voters, he isthe natural | edge in Makath that permits which he kept undeclared, our investi target of political opponents. | that City Hall gives to builders shows. The amount excludes P12 million in Maka’ colfce shops are | of condominiums somctiies declared Investments, as well as other businesses bursting with stories abou | come with a hefty, uncerthe: that he and his friends reportedly control through | Binay’s alleged unexplained table pris | dummy corporations. Tanta! during his Conseeu- | Une have tt goods ont After serving as mayor for | and connections. Live three terms as mayor from former mayor. In fact, i spent 12 years, nay now cons Violation ofthe law carries | 1988 ta 1998 (he served as hefty sum on recent pad a Go-hectare farm in Rosario, certain penalties—a15000- | OFC mayorin 1986 unt the in the Pnquirer that allsced to Batangas~estimaced to be fine and disqualification from | 1988 local clections) ences in and double the size ofthe | public office. Unfortunatly And he has alot of explain- | out of Makati City in| bfficials take the law do, considering that a8 But the tough-alking, Makatl~according to our ‘none of them have been put mayor Bi sometimes brusque jojo Binay Investigation, Based on behind bars fo thy nd as Is unfazed, He says he does conservative estimates of the ions. Former President MMDA cha reeled Inthe ads land value alone, the prop- | Josep Esirada himself was 746,000, Hlenita received the | a ecty—exetuding improve: previously caught committing | same salary as mayor fents—is worth about P23 the same mistake These charges ave a rehash | LANDED FAMILY smillion, ‘We interviewed at tea Tn addition, Rinay and his | contractors, form 15 of old election issues,” says | Two hours away from smployeesBinay ina written response to | Makati City, a the agricultural wife, Henita, current Mak and farm questions, brushing aside the | town of Rosario in Batangas, mayor, alsa onsn at Feast 10 allegations of missleed sprawling, niodern, 66-hectare Hidalgo condomiawun units | “inact where there isan Farm ts owed by the Bnays of ct inside the post Rochovell Center in Makatl. A | properties. 280-squate meter unit in and who all Rockwell, ike the ones confirmed his ‘ofthe two | omnership of costs arouind | these proper: million tues, Without The three properties alone, | these testino- worth at keast P79 mnllion, ‘les It would were never declared inthe be difficult to Couple's statement of assets trace owner: and liabilities, ship co him This is in viotation of RA. | because 6713, which mandates all documents, If officals to fle & the | they are acquisition cost and the available at al, assessed and fair marks o nor link values of thelr real propesty. | him or his They are also required by law | family to list other personal p j- eenbers to Investments, cash on band or | | the properties. in banks, financial labilities, ed and their business interests” | MMDA chair Se ewseamx 17 99046 0pu the inap su, A conservative © of the land's wortls 3 million, excluding mremvents made In ent years such 4s the construction of two huge houses, a plagery ‘orchid would conned other an wun, a cock farm the paving of a hilly road that he e farm to as i tlhe tone, The Binays acquited the first chunk of the land-—16,6 hectares farm fn 1991, Former hands recallet started working t disclosing that they savr former mayor th very week at Ue time, Hut the couple never ddeclaredt heir Statement ‘of Assets tnd Liabilities (SAL) 0 1996, 1997 and 1999, which Newsbruek obtained, The Office did not of the Ombud have a copy of fls 1998 SAL, Thee Binay couple is schedule to file their new SAL next month, as mandated by Lv: As of Decem ‘couple declared a net w 201.06 milion. In the it 1999, the same period, they declared 12.25 mallon in business without identify Invest Is Ing which these an Binays said their real proper UUes are worth only P3,18545 as of December 1999, The only real estate property that the Binays declared as ecpseh became residential pro Cavite, Acqhlt ‘was persed ope ea P59, ns since JoKy Binay 1ayor In 1988 ry in Alfonso, 1 1995, ts falr market value as of 1999 80. The ‘couple, however, declared it their 1999 SAL that they spent PS rultion in imapeeving the Cavite residence, The other real assets declared by the couple In their ‘most recent SAL were either Inherited, purchased or mortgaged to them before they dabbled in public service, Two | ese properties were hertted—one in 19ST, In elx; and the 5 specified late, in San Pascual, Batangas, Three were purchased — Alabang Hills, Muntiakap (1964); Mariveles in (1965); and San Antonlo Village in Makat (19% Of the eight deck properties, three are classified a ageicultural white five are residential. The residential [properties inchide the ones in Cavite; Makat Muntinlupa; San Pedeo (aquired in 1964) and Calamba (1984) The Bataan, Isabe Batangas prope agricultural Their 1999 SAL does not say ‘when the San Pascual, Batangas property was San Pascual isin the second district of Batangas, very Rawan, where Binay’s father ‘was barn (Binay’s mother ‘comes from Isabela, which should explain his Isabela property) ROSARIO, BATANGAS Along the main road of ‘arangay San Rogue in the Rosario town proper, a huge J askets, 1 says Due-anctavlte ign sits in front of heaps of huge fruit oobi By Mango Station.” ‘caretaker of the Jobla Bi, Mango Station, an-okd man refused (0 wees about his be The mest bbe could say was that "eagae -Maynila ang kapitaista (the ‘capitalist ts from Metro Manila).” At harvest time | June, he sald, they bring the mangoes to business establish ments in Binondo, This is the frst thme workers will harvest from the captalist’s mango farm, whose location the ‘caretaker gestures to be far flung—he acquired it only recently Th sear go nes line the mountalnous expanse ‘of grcens and diet sox *Kabbill lang niya ng -manggahang ivan (ie as just ‘bought that mango farm), sald a farmer-resident of ya, By “he” the farmer meant, “s/Binay, yong meyor ng Makati (Rinay the mayor of Makati.” Rarangay Maligaya is just ‘one of three barangays that Binay’s farm traverses. The ‘other two are Mayuro and Kaya The Newsbreak team saw that within the same property 1s a spravsting farm known the area as Binay’s property The undeclared property isin and inherited from his unc | these would be put wn fod mill in the farther town of San Pascual, ho acquired 1 Rosario land only in 1991, Ie ‘bought the fst 16.6 hectares froen a certain Donato Almeda brother of the Makall assistant city treasurer who resigned Job «wo years before the sae Theough Renato Coma, one of hus security akles who hailed from Rosario, Winay learned about the parcels af fan which ‘were up fer sale around his property, according to a relative ff Coma himself Binay expanded the land over the years by buying out neigh boring farms, Former employees in the nd residents of the properties to Binay f per square meter we Torreses, the Osiezons, Alday’, Exceps for the Patulays, none of these families are natives of Batangas, Comia’s relative ther relatives from the sur 1unding barangays, to work kn Bnay’s farm, Speaking on condition of anonymity, Binay’s f hands complained « Binay bought the p farm ume sof land, id they would be made n documents fo tha ¢ jot all the decunner depeiviny, five hectares of agricultural land Beyond that, he or she must distribute the land to his workers By 1993, Binay’ had already acquired 38 hectares of land in the area. it was also then that he started his own hog raising business with 60 pigs. ‘The follow goodness struct which required him to secure a balding permit from the ‘munieipal government. At the me, the “owners” of his propertiesfarnmwarkers, Actually--were no longer employed in his Farm and Uherefore refused to ign any ocuments that would facilitate the release of the permit *Pineke nila ang pirma namin,