This was according to a report on “24 Oras” on Monday, citing the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Calabarzon, which said the aviary is the biggest in the region.
The report said according to the DENR, the 57 birds were part of Rep. Binay’s private collection.
The aviary is just an addition to the London-inspired maze garden, man-made lagoon, and mansion inside Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park, which is allegedly part of the Binay family’s hidden wealth.
Ownership of the 350-hectare estate has been claimed by businessman Antonio Tiu, an alleged Binay dummy.
Among the 17 species in the aviary are Indian peafowl, mallard, Alexandrine parakeet, and silver pheasant, the report said.
It added Rep. Binay also has vulnerable species, or those nearing extinction, in the aviary such as the Victoria crowned pegion and Luzon bleeding-heart.
Rare species
Elmer Bascos, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Batangas, said that the birds are priced from P1,500 to P10,000 each. He also noted that having an aviary of exotic birds is normal in farms and eco-tourism parks.
According to the certificate of wildlife registration released in December 2004 and signed by Rep. Binay, the address of the aviary is in Barangay Maligaya in Rosario, Batangas, where Sunchamp is located.
However, if the Binay family has already sold part of the farm, including the aviary, the ownership of the exotic birds should have also been transferred, the DENR said.
“Baka naibenta na nga nila without us knowing… May receipt dapat kung nagbenta ka. Kung kasama ‘yun sa binenta, dapat ni-register ‘yun ng may-ari. Kung hindi nila ni-register ‘yun, subject for confiscation ‘yun,” Bascos said.
A DENR representative went to the farm but was denied entry, the report said. The agency is planning to send a warning letter to Rep. Binay.
GMA News tried contacting Rep. Binay for her comment, but she was not answering the calls. —Trisha Macas/KBK, GMA News
