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