Daughter of alleged Binay dummy denies condo was named after him

The daughter of one of the alleged dummies of vice president Jejomar Binay denied the accusations of former Makati City mayor Ernesto Mercado that a condo unit was registered under her father's name for Binay.

 

In a report on 24 Oras that aired on Wednesday, she said that her father Benjamin D. Zapanta has already passed away in 1997.

She also insisted that as far as she knows, her family never owned a propery in Makati although her father's business  BD Zapanta Construction Inc. was one of the contractors of the city's government projects even before Binay took over as a mayor.

 

"Wala po kasi akong alam na may condominium ang father ko dahil kahit apartment o ano, wala po kaming ganoon na unit," Zapanta's daughter said. 

 

She also said that they didn't have a copy of the title of the condo unit that Mercado showed at the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearing yesterday. 

 

Mercado said that the Vice President owned units in 60 percent of the condominium buildings in Makati in exchange for faster processing of permits, tax relief, and other privileges for the developers.  
 

Binay's ex-ally mentioned that Benjamin D. Zapanta was one of the dummies for this scheme. A unit in Perla Compania de Seguros Mansion Condotel was registered under his name. 

 

Zapanta's daughter revealed that the family received bills from a condo in Makati a few months after her father passed away. 

 

She recalled, "Noong pangalawang dating ng bill dahil malaki na po ang monthy dues niya, ang-worry na po kami, tinawagan na namin 'yung condinium at sinabi na hindi sa amin 'yun. Binalik na namin 'yung bill. After that, wala nang dumating sa amin." 

 

Panlilio couple

 

Aside from Zapanta, Mercado also claimed that couple Santos and Aurora Panlilio are dummies of the vice president. He claimed that a condo unit at Prince Plaza II Condotel and Avignon Tower are under their names. 

 

The administration of Prince Plaza II Condotel and the security of the Avignon Tower said that the Panlilios are not their residents. 

 

The couple owns Free Port Shipyard and Engineering Corporation, which recieved P491 million worth of contracts in Makati including the project called "Makati Pabahay" from 1997 to 2003, according to GMA News Research. 

 

But when a team from GMA News visited the registered address, a housekeeper and a driver said that Santos and Aurora passed away a long time ago. 

 

Dra. Binay's uncle?

 

Mercado also claimed that a unit in Le Triomphe and Berjaya Hotel (formerly Makati Sunrise) was reigstered under Celso Santiago, allegedly an uncle of doctora Elenita Binay. 

 

The report said that there are three "Celso Santiagos" in the telephone directory: one number is unreachable, the other said Santiago passed away, and the last one claimed that he was not the "Celso Santiago Mercado" was talking about. 

 

Ariel Olivar is another Binay dummy, Mercado said at the hearing. He allegedly owns Peak Condominium.

 

He explained, "Noong panahon na makasama pa sina vice president Binay at then vice mayor Mercado, siguro pumili sila ng isang tao na pwedeng pagpangalanan 'nung unit, ako ang sinuggest ni vice mayor." —Trisha Macas/NB, GMA News