Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim: Manila's Biggest Mistake

The nation's capital which was once called The Pearl of the Orient Seas, deteriorated and decayed under the administration of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. As city mayor, Lim has completely reversed all the growth and development enjoyed by the city under the leadership of his predecessor. Since he took control, the city has encountered drastic blows to its dream of becoming a premiere and world class city.Moreover, a lot of impoverished Manilenos suffered under the city government's incapacity in delivering basic social needs.

The failures of governance in Manila are clearer than ever as the city degenerates at a faster pace.Just by walking around Manila's streets can give us an idea how the present administration had become insensible and ignorant of the city's needs. It is no wonder why Manila has lagged behind other Asian cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in all aspects. For a person who loves the city so much, it causes too much pain to accept the fact that the once mighty and lovely city has turned into a complete mess and cesspool. We do not have to look beyond things on finding the culprit of the deterioration of our beloved nation's capital. No one is more liable for the failures of governance in Manila than Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.The present mayor along with his administration failed miserably in governing the city as a result of their complete abandonment and negation of what was successfully started by their predecessors. Instead of starting on what was completed by the former mayor; Lim started to employ a new policy and form of governance much to the discontent of the already thriving city residents.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and the city's incapacity to respond during emergency situations and tragedies was seen during the recent fire that razed the old downtown Manila. The crowded shantytown was completely burned and almost 3,000 families lost their homes. The incident further uncovered the city government's lack of evacuation and relocation capabilities as three thousand families were left struggling on finding a new place for shelter. Instead of prioritizing the welfare of the fire victims, the city government was too busy in trying to sell the area to a property developer.

Under Alfredo Lim, a former police officer himself, Manila's peace and order situation degenerated as evident in the record-high levels of crime in the city. The streets of Manila are still home to some of the most notorious pickpockets and holdup artists. In terms of infrastructure, the city still lacks the necessary infrastructure it needs to improve navigation and travel within the city. The city's streets are still filled with all sorts of pollution and traffic flow is chaotic.

The present mayor did not have any housing programs that could have benefited thousands of homeless people inhabiting almost every city street. Mayor Lim also vowed to support the measure that would push for the removal of the oil depot in Pandacan but when the measure was passed, he acted the other way.There is a lack of an economic plan dedicated on uplifting the lives and providing the poor with employment and livelihood opportunities. Public hospitals of the city are struggling on looking for new medical equipment and medical supplies, and there is a little availability of medical facilities to which Manilenos could run into when needed. It was also under Lim's leadership that the beautification of Manila was abandoned as evident in the now stinking Luneta Park and dimmed Avenida Rizal. Manila stinks just like its esteros and streets.

Despite all of these failures of governance in Manila, Alfredo Lim is still running for reelection in this forthcoming Manila Election. Lim is again showing several unproven achievements he made during his tenure as city mayor.As he pushes through with his campaign, Lim is again promising to fulfill numerous programs and projects, though majority of his prior promises were not fulfilled.Let's just hope that the Manilenos can realize what it was like when Alfredo Lim was not their mayor.

Manila further deteriorated and decayed under the administration of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. As city mayor, Lim has completely negated all the growth and development gained by the city under the leadership of his predecessors. The failures of governance in Manila became more apparent in almost all aspects. The present mayor failed miserably in running the city as he completely abandoned and negated what was successfully started by his predecessors.

-Julius Arante

Manila Jueteng Problem: Manila's Dark Secret

Illegal gambling is still rampant in this poverty-stricken city.The Manila Jueteng Problem still remains and has resurfaced again and evident in the arrests of several people involved in the said illegal form of gambling.Manila mayor Alfredo Lim along MPD director Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay have continuously reiterated that they will rid the city of illegal jueteng operators. Instead, there are intelligence reports that illegal jueteng operators are currently operating in the city.

The recent arrests of several people are clear indications that the once eradicated Manila Jueteng Problem is still flourishing. One of the major reasons why this illegal gambling problem has resurfaced is that police officers and city officials are involved in this trade.This illegal numbers game is believed to possess the blessing of unscrupulous police and city hall officials. In return for the protection extended, these jueteng protectors are bribed with a portion of the profits generated from this illegal activity.

The inability of the police force to bring these people involved in Jueteng has further aggravated the Manila Jueteng Problem. Many people who are engaged in this illegal activity were able to evade arrests due to the influence of higher police officials and city hall personnel including the Mayor of Manila. Moreover, jueteng operators in the city have discovered a way to elude arresting police officials. Investigations found out that jueteng lords in the city work using 'kangaroo' style and they transfer from one place to another to elude detection.

Jueteng operators in the city have also discovered some sort of resiliency in hiding their illegal operations. To elude and mislead the city's law enforcers, these jueteng collectors are pretending that they are soliciting bets for the government-sponsored EZ-2 lotto.Jueteng bares resemblance to EZ-2 which is a legal numbers game launched by the government through the PCSO.Jueteng and EZ-2 are both using a winning two-number combination where bettors place their bets.

The only thing that separates the two is that jueteng is drawn secretly and exists as an underground transaction. It is rumored that the winning combination in jueteng is selected by the operator.Jueteng operators choose combinations with fewer bets to increase their profits. Meanwhile, EZ-2 is officially permitted and drawn live on TV.

Unless the city government under Mayor Alfredo Lim and Manila Police Department admit and end their involvement in this kind of illegal activity; the Manila Jueteng Problem will remain unanswered.If Mayor Lim and Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay are serious in eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the city, their action should begin within their ranks.They should be hunting down protectors and big time jueteng lords instead of arresting small bet collectors.Moreover, the city government should study closely the real cause why this illegal numbers game even exists.

There are many reasons why the Manila jueteng problem has once again resurfaced as apparent in the arrests of several people involved in the said illegal form of gambling. The inability of the police force and Mayor of Manila Alfredo Lim to bring those people involved in Jueteng has further aggravated the problem. The reported involvement of police and city halls officials in the illegal activity has made it impossible to address this problem.

-Julius Arante

Alfredo Lim: Uncovering The Mayor's Dark Side

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim is widely regarded as the city's version of John Wayne, Django Kojak and Dirty Harry. The former Western Police District (WPD) head and former Director of the NBI has received countless accolades and recognition for what he was able to achieve during his stint as police officer. The media has continuously portrayed Lim as a no-nonsense, honest to goodness police officer.Moreover, Lim is now considered as a hero of Manila and admired for his courage and devotion to duty for his beloved city.

It is a sad fact that many people have bought these kinds of stories that were created and written to benefit Alfredo Lim. Lim has had success his manipulation of the media which has helped him in building an outstanding reputation as a former police officer. Many people have believed that Manila's most outstanding policeman's rise to power is a product of years of dedication and hard work. The real story behind this fancied Manila Mayor and former MPD chief remains untold which is part of the reason why he still enjoys popularity and recognition among Manilenos.

Not too many people are acquainted with the dark side of Mayor Lim due to his constant manipulation of the media during his tenure in the MPD.Lim's well-documented exploits and heroics were creations made by his media friends.With the help of the media sympathetic to him, Alfredo Lim's dark side were successfully covered up and remained buried for many years. Whereas, the true stories about him was exactly the opposite of what has been touted by the media.

There exist untold stories which can give us the truthful side of this former police chief. Lim's career as a police officer is exactly the opposite of what the media has been writing about him for many years. Alfredo Lim was once a dirty cop. Lim's career as a police officer was marred with reported cases of corruption, utter disregard for the law, abuse of authority and human rights violations including "salvaging," shady deals and a reign of terror, all perpetrated by Lim and his cohorts.

Alfredo Lim was a master of manipulations as revealed by his comrades in uniform. Lim was a specialist and knew a lot of ways of soliciting loyalty and support from his colleagues and subordinates in the police force. He worked his way and manipulated his subordinates to get their support for his personal gain and promotion.His manipulative nature has also helped him in covering up his misdeeds and his affiliation to a number of syndicates and illegal activities. Lim is also known for his reputation as a patron of Manila's drug lords and smugglers. The former MPD chief is closely identified with one of the most powerful drug lords in Manila.Lim has extended protection to a number of drug lords of the city including his friend Manuel Velasco, the leader of a big drug syndicate at Binondo; and even his nephew a certain Maynard Limcangco Siojo.Aside from illegal drugs, Lim has also been closely identified with big time smugglers and smuggling syndicates.

Alfredo Lim's success in portraying himself as an outstanding police officer is nothing but a product of his ability to manipulate media. The media has been constantly portraying Lim as a no-nonsense, honest to goodness police officer. The Manila Mayor was successful in hiding all his wrongful acts and misdeed he has done during his stint in as police chief. Meanwhile, the dark side of Mayor Lim continues to be untold and remained uncovered.

-Julius Arante

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim Should Get A Failing Mark

The nation's capital which was once called The Pearl of the Orient Seas, deteriorated and decayed under the administration of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. As city mayor, Lim has completely reversed all the growth and development enjoyed by the city under the leadership of his predecessor. Since he took rein, the city has taken severe blows to its dream of becoming a premiere and world class city. Moreover, a lot of Manilenos particularly the impoverished ones, suffered under the city government's inefficiency in delivering basic social needs.

The failures of governance in Manila became more evident than ever as the city degenerates at a faster pace. Just by simply walking around Manila's streets we can get an idea on how the present administration had become insensible and ignorant of the city's needs.It is no doubt why Manila has been left behind by other Asian cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in all aspects. For a person who loves the city so much, it is too painful to digest the fact that the once mighty and lovely city has turned into a complete mess and cesspool. We do not have to go beyond things on finding who's to blame on the deterioration of our beloved nation's capital.No one is more responsible for the failures of governance in Manila than Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. The present mayor along with his administration failed miserably in organizing the city as they completely discarded and negated what was successfully initiated by their predecessors.Instead of sustaining what was started by the former mayor; Lim started a new policy and form of governance much to the dismay of the already prospering city residents.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and the city's incapacity to respond during emergency situations and tragedies was seen during the recent fire that razed the old downtown Manila. The crowded shantytown was completely burned and almost 3,000 families lost their homes. The incident further uncovered the city government's lack of evacuation and relocation capabilities as three thousand families were left struggling on finding a new place for shelter. Instead of taking good care of the fire victims, the city government became too busy in trying to sell the area to a property developer.

Under Alfredo Lim, a former police officer himself, Manila's peace and order situation deteriorated as evident in the recorded levels of crime in the city. The streets of Manila are still home to some of the most notorious pickpockets and holdup artists. In terms of infrastructure, the city does not have the adequate infrastructure it needs to improve navigation and travel within the city. The city's streets are still choking in pollution and traffic flow is more chaotic.

The present mayor also failed to provide housing programs that could have benefited thousands of homeless people inhabiting almost every city street. Mayor Lim also vowed to support the measure that would push for the removal of the oil depot in Pandacan but when the measure was passed, he acted the other way.There was also no economic plan dedicated on uplifting the lives and providing the poor with employment and livelihood opportunities. Public hospitals of the city are seeking for new medical equipment and medical supplies, and there is a shortage of medical facilities to which Manilenos could run into when needed.It was also during Lim's tenure that the beautification of Manila was stopped as evident in the now stinking Luneta Park and dimmed Avenida Rizal.Manila is rotting just like its esteros and streets.

Despite all of these failures of governance in Manila, Alfredo Lim is still searching for another three-year mandate in this forthcoming Manila Election.Lim is again presenting several unseen achievements he made during his tenure as city mayor. As he pushes through with his campaign, Lim is again promising to fulfill numerous programs and projects, though majority of his prior promises were not fulfilled.Let's just hope that the Manilenos can realize what it was like when Alfredo Lim was not their mayor.

Manila further deteriorated and decayed under the administration of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. No one is more accountable for the failures of governance in Manila more than Mayor Alfredo Lim. As city mayor, Lim has completely negated all the growth and development gained by the city under the leadership of his predecessors. The present mayor failed miserably in running the city as he completely abandoned and negated what was successfully started by his predecessors.

-Julius Arante

Alfredo Lim Is Not A Real EDSA1 Hero

Alfredo Lim has been erroneously receiving accolades and admiration for the role he played during the famed EDSA 1. The mayor of Manila, who is running for reelection, has been stating false claims and wrong representation to solidify his image as a real EDSA 1 hero.Mayor Lim has enjoyed tremendous success in doing so as evident in the current status of his political career.However, as he succeeds in building up his reputation, he also continues to make misrepresentation of the facts.

Recorded events of old Manila watch will show us exactly the opposite of what Alfredo Lim has been claiming. The mayor of Manila has been furnishing his image for cheap politics at the expense of another great unknown EDSA hero in Col. Jose H. Dawis. Dawis acted as the Chief of Police of Quezon City during EDSA 1 under the control of the then General Lim.Dawis knew very well how the former general acted during the height of EDSA1. However, his account of Lim's participation in EDSA1 is still untold and misrepresented.

Colonel Dawis knows how General Lim behaved like a coward during the height of demonstrations and protests. As Commanding General, Lim was too afraid to deal with the angry demonstrators and was cowardly hiding in small Antique shop in P. Tuazon the whole time laden with fear.He was very hesitant and fearful that he passed on the burden of controlling the crowd in EDSA to his personnel.Dawis recalled that it was General Lim who ordered him to disperse the crowd in EDSA at all cost upon the order of order of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Colonel Dawis at that time only had a handful of 100 people under him when he was ordered by General Lim to disperse the crowd of more than 100,000 in EDSA. To make Colonel Dawis' job more manageable, General Lim has promised him with additional 500 military men to help him in the dispersion of the crowd in EDSA. But Colonel Dawis was rebellious. The brave Colonel stood on his principles and vehemently told Gen. Lim that he will not disperse the crowd who were just expressing their grievances peacefully.

The defiance of Colonel Dawis has made General Lim irate and angry. He was completely furious with how Colonel Dawis responded and disobeyed his orders. As a response, General Lim started to speak angrily to Colonel Dawis who remained unfazed.Colonel Dawis followed his principles and defied the orders of his superior officer despite the threats of losing his job.

Former Senator Butch Aquino can confirm this claim since he and Colonel Dawis had developed a very good relationship. Colonel Dawis was very sympathetic and helpful to the opposition leaders and would allow them to protest peacefully in Quezon City.

This is a clear sign that the accolades and admiration that Alfredo Lim enjoys should not be extended to him. Lim should not be bestowed with the recognition as one of the many real heroes of EDSA1 for the fact that he was never one.Lim is confusing the public into believing his false claims and misrepresentations of facts at the expense of another great and worthy hero. Colonel Dawis is the real EDSA1 hero and should be endowed with the necessary accolades and recognition, and not the person who desperately tries to build his self a reputation using nothing but lies.

The mayor of Manila, who is seeking reelection, has been making frivolous claims and false representation to bolster his image as a real EDSA one hero. Mayor Alfredo Lim has in many ways succeeded in doing so as evident in the current status of his political career. On the contrary, Lim is using his frivolous claims and misrepresentations of facts at the expense of another great and worthy hero, Colonel Dawis.

-Julius Arante

Failures In Governance Of Mayor Alfredo Lim In City Of Manila

Lost pearl
FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno (The Philippine Star) Updated December 19, 2009 12:00 AM

Manila was once called The Pearl of the Orient Seas. Today, it looks more like Asia’s cesspool.

When a fire hit what was once called “downtown Manila”, the blaze moved quickly through what has become a crowded shantytown. In an instant, 3,000 families lost their homes.

Not only was the city government’s response to the fire poor, it did not have evacuation and relocation capabilities to deal with the human tragedy that followed the fire. Three thousand families are now part of that dark, barely visible mass inhabiting the sidewalks and even colonizing the bay walk — an area once designated as the epicenter of the city’s rebirth.

Instead of quickly evolving a program to mitigate the misery of the thousands of victims of the fire, the city government concentrated on fencing off the burnt out area — apparently in preparation for selling that now cleared area to a property developer. That could be a most profitable deal, not necessarily for the city. Just recently a large piece of the city’s land, where a 5-star hotel sits, was sold for what people in the know say is a bargain-basement assessment.

The once fashionable Avenida Rizal — in another age the heart and soul of Filipino civilization — is now a dark and dingy street, choked with pedicabs and even horse-drawn carriages. There was an effort, some years back, to reinvent Avenida as a brightly-lit pedestrian mall recalling its glorious past as the center of fashion, commerce and the arts. That effort was scuttled by the presently sitting mayor and the area was allowed to degenerate into a dim and dinghy black hole.

One cannot walk the streets of the old city without becoming overcome with fear of pickpockets and holdup artists. I generally avoid going to Manila, except for an occasional golf game in Intramuros or the quarterly exercise of emptying my pigeonhole at the offices of this newspaper. The streets are always choked and traffic flow is always chaotic.

It was once a pleasure to walk through the Luneta Park and listen to live concerts being played there. Today the place stinks. The grass is dead. There is no decent place to eat or have a decent cup of coffee.

It seems this city began dying a little more quickly during the tenure of Mayor Alfredo Lim.

When he assumed office, Lim promised to ban provincial buses from the crowded Lawton area. Today, the place is even more crowded with buses.

He promised the Archbishop of Manila that, in the event his city council passed an ordinance prolonging the stay of the fuel depots in Pandacan, he would promptly veto the measure. When the measure was passed, the Mayor, acting like he was in some sort of divine delirium, pronounced he had heard the voice of the people and not only allowed the depots to stay but invited all sorts of hazardous industries to the banks of the dying Pasig River.

With Lim in charge, everything seemed permissible in this chaotic city. Peddlers of every sort colonized the streets. There was no housing program of any note initiated to absorb the great number of denizens inhabiting the sidewalks. Taft Avenue began to resemble an obstacle course for pedestrians.

There is no economic plan to liberate the city from the grip of poverty, no plan for urban renewal to mitigate the stench. The esteros continued to deteriorate. There are few public services in sight, not one new public toilet and not a new restaurant row.

The city had not upgraded its educational institutions. There is no employment program for precisely the locality with the highest rate of unemployment in the whole country.

I am not sure if public medical services in the city have been upgraded in any way. I have seen no new medical facility that the people of Manila could run to when they need expert medical attention.

For some reason, I recall Autumn of the Patriarch whenever I think about Mayor Lim and the degenerating city he presides over. In the novel, the ageing patriarch just sits and does nothing — and would not go away.

Lim is, of course, seeking reelection in a city that has become even more decrepit since he took the reins. It seems he has spent his entire term tearing down the beautification projects of his predecessor and sending off his barangay officials to Hong Kong for rest and recreation.

His people have mounted a strange sort of campaign against his main challenger: the three-term, undefeated former mayor Lito Atienza. Last week, his people tried to tar Atienza by concocting some story about Atienza’s people tearing down Cory streamers in the city.

That sounds rather unthinkable. When Lim served the Marcos dictatorship, Atienza suffered with the democratic opposition. When the Liberal party rally was bombed in Plaza Miranda, Atienza was among those injured. The current DENR secretary was once of the handful of assemblymen who supported the possibility of Cory Aquino challenging Marcos. He then served the Cory administration as NHA administrator.

Perhaps Lim and his people should try and elevate the quality of the local electoral contest in Manila. He can start by presenting a report of his service as chief executive of the city. He might try to recount the promises he made at the start so the people can see if these promises were fulfilled.

This might be a bit of a challenge: he might try and present a plan for rehabilitating this debilitated city. The danger in doing this, of course, is that any conceivable plan for redeeming Manila will militate against Lim’s record as mayor.

Source: manilawatch

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim Is Charged With Graft For Sale Of Century Park Hotel

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno is facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for playing a major role in the fraudulent bidding and sale of the Century Park Hotel at a bargain price of P 1 Billion. Lim and Moreno alongside 20 councilors, four other city officials and four John Does are also facing graft charges in a 26-page complaint filed by former legal adviser of Lim and close friend Atty. Reynaldo L. Bagatsing.The complaint calls for nullification of the said anomalous transaction and the penalization of the perpetrators involved.

Bagatsing has pointed out that the transaction is manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the City of Manila as the city is set to lose almost P2 billion. The five-star Century Park Hotel is currently sited on a 4.5 hectare prime property which could have given the city government with at least P3 billion in sales.Instead, the city government has given the right to the prime property at a bargain price of P1billion, a far cry from what should have been its original price. It was claimed by Bagatsing that Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno have lobbied for the transaction to take place for the benefit of the mayor's ally in Lucio Tan.

The documents from the City Assessor's Office obtained by Bagatsing shows that the land occupied by the hotel was unaccountably reduced to an area of 22, 967 square meters and worth P 965,261,850 or almost P1 billion.The price of which the land was sold does not actually reflect the current zonal valuation of the land as directed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In reference to the BIR's appraisal, the current value and selling price of prime properties in the Malate-Ermita district ranges from P 50,000 to P 80,000 per square meter.Using the current valuation, the land should have been sold for about P3 billion.

The right to the land was awarded to the winning bidder Maranaw Hotels and Resort Corporation, the owner of Century Park Hotel.The corporation is publicly listed and owned by business tycoon Lucio Tan, a known ally of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.In 2003, Tan's firm bought the rights to operate the hotel in 2003 from Tourist Trade and Travel Corporation of the Martel family.Maranaw Hotels and Resort Corporation, the current hotel's operator, made a P1billion bid and was later awarded with the right to the land. It was believed that Lim used his authority to pave the way for the said anomalous transaction due to his closeness to Tan.

It was the city council composed of 20 councilors who granted Lim with the authority to negotiate the sale of the hotel through City Council Resolution No. 176 adopted on August 5, 2008. The city council has also confirmed and ratified the award and sale to Tan's firm through Resolution No. 278 approved on December 23, 2008.The said transaction also took place in complete rush, in only a span of five months after Lim was granted authority to negotiate the sale.To make sure that the anomalous transactions will not be uncovered, the Committee on Bid and Award issued and published erratic and false notice of auction in the in the Philippine Star.

All the evidences gathered and collected show clear evidences that there had been an attempt to reduce the price tag for the said property which clearly makes this transaction a sweetheart deal.The deal has benefited an ally of Mayor Lim and has betrayed the city's taxpayers and residents. The participation of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim in this fraudulent transaction is an apparent display of abuse of authority and power, and a clear betrayal of the public's interest.The Ombudsman on its part must take a closer look in this case and bring all the people involved to justice.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno are facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent bidding and sale of the Century Park Hotel at a bargain price of P 1billion. The involvement of the Mayor of Manila in this fraudulent transaction is a clear indication of abuse of authority and power, and a clear betrayal of the public's interest.

-Julius Arante