Mercado leaves for US: sources ABS-CBNnews Posted at 11/20/2014 10:12 PM | Updated as of 11/20/2014 10:13 PM MANILA - Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado left the country for the United States last Tuesday, sources said. Mercado left for Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. on November 18 on board Philippine Airlines flight 102. Mercado was with his daughter, Karla Marie Ciruela, the sources said. He will return to the Philippines after 21 days. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) declined to comment on Mercados trip. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said they could not divulge the whereabouts of Mercado because he is under the Witness Protection Program (WPP). BI spokesperson Atty. Elaine Tan, likewise, said they could not speak on the matter. Mercado, a former ally of Binay when he was still mayor of Makati, has accused the vice president of benefiting from overpriced projects in the city. Mercado also accused Binay of owning a sprawling estate in Rosario, Batangas, a mansion in Tagaytay, and several condominium units, which he allegedly hides under the names of his supposed dummies. The camp of Binay, for his part, alleged that Mercado owns prime properties here and abroad, including an island in Palawan. They said the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigating the corruption allegations against Binay should ask the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to conduct a lifestyle check on Mercado. -- With a report from Zhander Cayabyab, dzMM abs-cbnnews/nation/11/20/14/mercado-leaves-us-sources
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:36:36 +0000
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