San Pedro City Mayor Art Francis Joseph Mercado and his city council are facing new plunder and graft charges filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The charges were brought by former city hall employee Jason Vierneza, who expressed dismay over the city’s purchase of a 22,500-square-meter land in Barangay Landayan without proper planning or legal proceedings.
In his 14-page complaint, Vierneza claimed the land was purchased for P135 million or P6,000 per square meter, an amount he believes to be significantly overpriced.
The actual value of the property, according to Vierneza, is only P29.5 million.
Residents of Barangay Landayan were reportedly affected by widespread flooding caused by landfilling activities on the purchased lot.
Vierneza also pointed out that this is not the first time Mayor Mercado’s administration has been accused of overpricing land, citing a previous plunder and graft case involving a land purchase in Barangay Laram.