‘Mansiongate’
Down South The
mayor of Cagayan de Oro City who is a close friend of disgraced president
Joseph Estrada finds himself in the center of an imbroglio over a mansion
allegedly given to him by Estrada. By
HERBIE GOMEZ CAGAYAN
DE ORO CITY – The mayor of this city who has close ties with former
president Joseph Estrada has found himself in the center of an imbroglio
no different from some of those that hounded Estrada out of office. Mayor
Vicente Emano has been accused by his political opponents of receiving a
“mansion” as a gift from Estrada. He has denied the charge, insisting
that the house is not a mansion. But
he admitted in interviews here that he received a total of P200,000 from
Estrada, who would give him P50,000 on several occasions. Emano maintained
that the amount could not have been used to build the house on a hilltop
in barangay Macasandig, this city. The property is said to be worth
between P3 and P4 million. Emano,
however, evaded questions from journalists here about his failure to
declare the property in his statement of assets and liabilities, insisting
that “the issue is whether or not the house is a mansion.” On
Friday last week, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here that graft
investigators should look into the allegations that Estrada gifted Emano
with the house shortly after the 1998 elections. "It
should be looked into," Arroyo said during her first visit in
Mindanao since assuming the presidency in January. Not
A Mansion? Last
week, bar topnotcher Aquilino Martin Pimentel III, the son of Senate
president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., called on Malacanang and the Presidential
Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to investigate the mansion issue. The
young Pimentel is running for mayor of this city against the reelectionist
Emano. "It's
not really a mansion, it's just a house that looks big from the outside
because of its pointed roof," said a source close to Emano.
"It's just an ordinary house with so many chairs in it and not much
furniture." The
house may be “ordinary” but it is standing on an extraordinarily large
land of about 3,000 square meters, which, the source said, Emano got for a
“give-away” price. The lot is 30 times bigger than those being offered
in local low-cost housing subdivisions. A
high concrete fence hides the house from public view. Its lawn is
well-landscaped. It also has a mini-zoo with a variety of doves and other
exotic species, including a crocodile from Palawan which Emano calls
Congcoy, after his estranged cousin and bitter political rival,
ex-congressman Victorico Chaves of Misamis Oriental. Emano, whose nickname
is Dongkoy, used to be the governor of that province. Longtime
Friend A
source close to Emano who requested anonymity said the property was
developed with the help of a construction company run by the mayor’s
close friend and longtime political supporter Norris Babiera. Babiera,
who briefly served as acting governor of Misamis Oriental under the Aquino
administration, is now seeking a seat in the Misamis Oriental provincial
board under the party of Emano’s protégée, Misamis Oriental Governor
Antonio Calingin. "I
don't think Emano spent much for that house. P4 million would be too
much," the source said. Nevertheless,
Emano did not include his Macasandig property in his statement of assets
and liabilities, contrary to the law, nor did he pay taxes for it,
according to acting city assessor Norberto Cosadio. Cosadio had served as
Emano's provincial assessor when the mayor was still governor. In 1998,
after winning the mayoralty race in this city, Emano plucked Cosadio out
of retirement and appointed him city assessor. Emano
continues to evade questions regarding his failure to declare the property
in his statements of assets and liabilities or how much exactly he had
spent for it. Emano
said the main issue was on whether or not it was a mansion. He also said
he would give the lock and key to the house to anyone who can prove that
it's a mansion. He
admitted to reporters from the Philippine Daily Inquirer that
Estrada would give him P50,000 every time the two of them met. He said
Estrada would give him and other mayors money for their hotel bills in
Manila. All in all, Emano claimed to have received only P200,000 from
Estrada. Estrada
was driven out of Malacanang last month after Filipinos took to the
streets all over the country, outraged over the move by pro-Estrada
senators to suppress evidence that the prosecution team at the impeachment
trial deemed damning to Estrada. On
Wednesday, the Senate opened the second envelope containing this supposed
evidence. Senators who witnessed the opening said the evidence in the
envelope corroborated Senate testimonies that Estrada maintained
multi-billion accounts. Estrada
was accused of bribery, graft, culpable violation of the Constitution and
betrayal of public trust. Among the charges leveled against him was that
he gave mansions to several of his mistresses. Prosecutors believed that
the money used in buying these mansions came from jueteng, tobacco-tax
kickbacks and commissions from corporate takeovers. #
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