Hunt for man behind purchase of Estrada mistresses' mansions

The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started to look for the mastermind in the purchase of mansions that were constructed by real estate companies, but were eventually the residences of the mistresses of deposed President Joseph Estrada, a senior official said. NBI's six top officials "have already gathered the titles, the corporations, the people behind the corporations, the syndicate, but the principals behind this, that is one of the things they are still looking into," said NBI Chief Reynaldo Wycoco.

"The environment is different now so there is a better chance they will get a breakthrough," said Wycoco, hinting that his agency could connect Estrada's participation in, if not ownership of, the companies that purchased the luxurious real estate properties. Congressman prosecutor Joker Arroyo revealed on December 7, at the opening of the senate impeachment trial that a certain Jose Velarde, alleged to be Estrada's secret account at the Equitable PCIBank, paid $2.8 million (P421 million) to Jose Luis Yulo Jr, majority owner of St. Peter's Holding in April 1998, for the purchase of the 7,000 square metre lot at 100 11th Street in New Manila.

A $10 million (P500 million) refurbished mansion in the lot, known as the "Boracay mansion", became the residence of starlet Laarni Enriquez, one of Estrada's mistresses. The mansion was named Boracay because it has white sand from a Philippine beach, at the side of a swimming pool with a wave-making machine. Enriquez has six other properties at the posh Wack Wack subdivision in suburban Mandaluyong, all of which were owned by companies owned by Estrada cronies.

Estrada's mistress, Guia Gomez, has real estate worth $ 44 billion (P2.2 billion) at the posh Forbes Park in Makati City. It was formerly owned by Jeffrey Bolkiah, the brother of Brunei Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah. She also has another property in the same area. Rowena Lopez, another of Estrada's mistresses used to live in a mansion at Asia World subdivision along Pasay City's Roxas Boulevard.

Another mistress Joy Melendrez used to stay at a posh residence at suburban Quezon City's Green Meadows. Estrada has cabins at Camp John Hay, at the former U.S. Air Base and recreation centre in northern Luzon's Baguio City. He has two villas and two log-houses at the Tagaytay Highlands, in southern Luzon.