Still as defiant as ever as when he issued a violent threat to lawyer Victor de la Serna in answer to allegations of impropriety including receiving a P1million monthly bribe, City Mayor Dan Neri Lim swung into action yesterday to belie the charges of lawyer Victor de la Serna that he was on the take in the Rehabilitation Operate Transfer (ROT) deal of the Tagbilaran City Square. Speaking in his weekly radio program, Mayor Lim said if “I committed any infraction in relation to the ROT transaction, then punish me, Dr. Abe Lim who is running for city mayor and my wife Dr. Sharleen Lim for vice governor in the coming May 13 elections”. Mayor’s Lim’s sharp reaction came even as a Liberal Party standard bearer for mayor pushed for a review of all contracts entered into by the city government if given the chance to serve as city mayor.

LP official candidate for city mayor lawyer Augustinus “Dodong” Gonzaga issued his own statement in reaction to the accusation of de la Serna that Mayor Lim was paid a monthly goodwill money of P1 million from a consortium that entered into a contract with city hall to rehabilitate, operate and transfer the city square into a productive enterprise earning revenues for the city government. “As I have always reiterated, transparency and accountability is first and foremost in any governance before any change can be truly achieved,” Gonzaga said. Gonzaga’s battle cry “Kausaban sa Tagbilaran” calls for change pursuant to the “Daang Matuwid” slogan of the Aquino administration. It has gained much traction from the grassroots who have been long clamoring for deliverance from the present city rule under Mayor Lim. Gonzaga is pitted with two other candidates; all related to outgoing mayor Dan Lim. John Geesnell “Baba” Yap is the mayor’s nephew while Dr. Abraham “Abe” Lim is a brother of the mayor.

Political observers agreed that true change can only be attained in Gonzaga’s assumption to office; - but not with the two other candidates who are siblings of the outgoing mayor. “Of course, Baba Yap, the nephew and Abe Lim the brother can never pursue any action against Dan Lim, that is given, as the saying goes: blood is thicker than water,” Gonzaga said sharing the same public sentiment. The lawyer-candidate vowed to make public all transactions of the city government considering the heightened interest for probe particularly on the ROT agreement with a Chinese-Filipino consortium that constructed the City Square in 2008, on the site of the former Agora public market. In the BOT contract which expands to 25 years, the consortium operates and manages the whole commercial building, including the parking lot and gives only to the city government a guaranteed amount of P5M yearly with the rider whichever is higher.

The city government gets only about P30 per square meter if based on the P5M it gets from the private consortium, while on the other hand, records have shown that the spaces at the City Square is being tented at P600 per square meter for spaces on the first floor, P400 for the second floor and P300 at the third floor. Even if the rentable area is only 3,000 sq. m. the private operators (Chinese consortium) can still generate about P80M yearly as minimum income. “This is grossly disadvantageous to the government, no questions about that. While BOT schemes are tested ways to spur the economy and part of the national government thrust to elicit joint partnership with the private sector, contracts like these should be transparent and not tainted with any suspicions,” Gonzaga added.

The Agora issue elicited new public attention when one of the business partners of the consortium Go Beng Sum reportedly revealed to the former OIC governor, one of the BOT agreement critics, that Lim is allegedly getting P12M yearly from the Chinese consortium. In 2008, when the City Square was on its completion stage, three lawyers including Dela Serna, Alexander Lim, Zotico Ochavillo and a private businessman-former city councilor Zenaido “Djingo” Rama filed a case in court questioning the validity of the contract. A complaint was also filed with the office of the Ombudsman Visayas citing City Mayor Dan Lim for violations of the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, under R.A 3019. Lawyer Gonzaga said “any public official, even if he is no longer in office, can be held accountable in offenses involving public funds. These are criminal cases and carries prison terms if finally convicted.”

LIM REACTION

During yesterday’s edition of his radio program which the discerning public anticipated a shark rebuke given de la Serna’s serious accusation, Mayor Lim was as combative as ever. He said his reaction bordered on the violent as soon as he heard the charges because” for one it was baseless and unfounded”. The first time he was accused of receiving the P1 million monthly bribe, Mayor Lim appeared to have been caught off balance that he threatened “to beat de la Serna back and blue”. Telling de la Serna that if he sees him at the ICM, he will lose no time in slapping, beating and kicking him, just to prove to the accuser that he was seething with anger when he heard the accusation. Putting himself at the disposal of the electorate in the coming elections in his bid to run for a Congress seat in the first district, Mayor Lim said if the accusation was proven true then the people can punish him along with his brother and his wife by repudiating them in the coming elections. During the same radio program, Mayor Lim paid a glowing tribute to his father, Segundo, and mother, Gloria, whom, he said, reared him into a respectable citizen of this city. He said if there’s anybody who knows “who am I”, it is my parents because they are the ones who molded my character. Refusing to tone down his rhetoric the previous week when he issued the violent warning, Mayor Lim said he is going to settle scores with his critics after his term shall have expired on June 30. It’s a different ballgame by June 30, Lim said, as if telling his audience by then that he will no longer think of any political fallout from public office.