‘DAR chief’s statement shows Senate hearing useless’

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay welcomed yesterday the statement of Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has no documents to prove that Binay owns the controversial hacienda in Rosario, Batangas.

 Delos Reyes said in a recent interview that none of the documents that have surfaced so far proves that Binay owns the property, which is the subject of an investigation by the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee.

 Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesman for media affairs, said Delos Reyes’ statement validates their position that the Senate hearing “is simply a forum for spreading lies against the Vice President.”  

“Those behind the campaign of lies are senators dreaming of the presidency and a self-confessed grafter and gambler who now styles himself as a paragon of truth and virtue,” Salgado added.

Former Makati City vice mayor Ernesto Mercado accused Binay of owning a 350-hectare farm in Rosario, which is dubbed by the latter’s critics as “Hacienda Binay.”

Binay has repeatedly denied owning the property. But he admitted owning a portion of the property under a family corporation, but sold it to Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp. when he won the vice presidency in 2010.

Delos Reyes said the 145-hectare property is registered under Sunchamp, a company owned by businessman Antonio Tiu, whom Binay detractors said is his dummy.

The DAR was involved in the controversy following allegations that the property was converted from agricultural to commercial land.

 Despite the absence of proof of Binay’s ownership of the property, Delos Reyes said DAR continues to investigate the sale of the land because a big part of the estate is covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) while other areas were covered by Certificate of Land Ownership Award.

Delos Reyes told The STAR yesterday that DAR would summon the officials of Sunchamp and some land beneficiaries next month to determine whether the land covered by CARP was sold without clearance from the agency.