Punchline
Speaking of Mr. Lim
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
DAGUPAN’S Mayor Benjie Lim may yet earn a lasting legacy for himself as an enterprising imaginative mayor if his touted roadmap for economic stability and growth in the city becomes a reality. I sincerely pray he would.
Critical as I am of the scandals and scams in the city hall under his stewardship, no one can argue that his ideas and plans to give the city not just a landscape facelift but to make the city a dynamic trading and business hub are gems of governance.
Let’s list some of what he has listed so far of “best things to come”:
The development of more touristic activities in the city will surely generate more revenues for all, from the ice cream and water vendors and bangus growers to shop-owners and gas stations.
The development and promotion of a Dagupan special lechon will definitely boost the city’s image as a fun food capital of the north. (The city health office can worry about the increase in cases of heart attacks among residents later).
The clearing of shanties and other eyesores in the city to make it beautiful will make taxpaying residents proud of the city they help build.
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But as the city ponders these possibilities with him…or even get carried away by his spirited enthusiasm, it is also best that that the city is mindful of the land mines of corruption that normally surround Mr. Lim’s grand programs. Do not forget –
:The city was promised a sanitary landfill but at the end, the city even lost its full investment on the project. The city lost ownership of the land it bought in San Jacinto, never mind that the purchase was tainted with a P9 million overprice.
:The city was promised a new city hall but the city hall was never removed from its present location and the promised new site is nothing but a dirty white elephant in the heart of the city. More on this later.
:The city was promised a spanking modern mall-type public market that can generate more revenues for the city but the city instead found itself simply indebted as it scrambles to cut down on the subsidy for its unprofitable operation.
:The city’s malnourished children were promised an intensified feeding program only to see the frequency greatly reduced because the purchases for the commodities were criminally overpriced leaving a paltry budget for the needy kids.
:The city was promised a brand new dredging machine that would dredge the city’s rivers continuously and minimize the incidence of flooding. That machine is now docked uselessly like a world war relic.
But this is not to say that a Lim administration has not achieved anything without the stench of corruption permeating in the air. To the credit of Mr. Lim, with some help from Guv Spines, 90% of the city’s rivers are finally free of the destructive fish pens; the Bangus Festival and the race for the Guinness record were his brainchild (but it was the continued development and promotion of the Bangus Festival by VM Belen Fernandez that effectively put the city on the tourism map of the country).
Lest we forget, the idea of the Seafood Processing Plant was his as well, but it was then Speaker Joe de V who successfully secured the funds through a grant for the plant without a multi-million loan tied to it as proposed by Mr. Lim.
And yes, Mr. Lim laid the groundwork for the disaster-preparedness of the city that helped minimize damages to lives and properties in the city during calamities.
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Moving on, many are bothered anew by his statements that still reflect his convoluted sense of logic in reaction to allegations about more indiscretions in his governance today.
First, I refer to his temerity to blame former Speaker Joe de V for the aborted new city hall. He conveniently ascribed the failure of his strategy to build a new city hall out of the derelict MC Adore Hotel building to the supposed inability of Mr. JdV to convince national agencies to hold office in the planned city hall. Duh? Was it Mr. JdV who twisted his arm to negotiate and purchase the building? I also don’t recall Mr. JdV making assurances that he would take it upon himself to fill up the projected empty office spaces in the planned city hall. Why is it now Mr. JdV’s fault that the city cannot have the city hall that he (Mr. Lim) promised to justify his secret purchase? ‘Tis not fair, Mr. Lim.
Then, he belies the fact that the MC Adore building is a useless white elephant today. His proof – there are buyers for the property! LOL! Of course, there will always be buyers for a property that can be had for a bargain! By analogy, his Magic outlets in the province can be the most popular mall in the country if his goods are sold at 50% lower than retail prices of SM and CSI throughout. But would he sell? Not on your life. So whether he likes it or not, the building will be viewed as a white elephant that he created for as long as and until the area is developed and becomes productive.
But Mr. Lim can be correct in his claim if he had promised the city instead a fantastic real estate deal early on that would pay off a hefty 300% profit at the very least for the city, but he didn’t. Anyway, it has become obvious that Mr. Lim will not and cannot make good on his new city hall promise and the city is finally stuck with what he had intended it to be from the very beginning – a shady real estate deal.
In this regard, the city council can do the city a huge favor by determining the minimum bidding/selling price based on prevailing market rates, plus costs. (It’s a sheer waste of time reacting to silly offers that Mr. Lim is soliciting obviously to make it appear that the city owes him big-time for seeking buyers and should, therefore, be authorized by the city council to give him the authority to negotiate the sale at his preferred price for his preferred friends. Nice try, Mr. Lim).
So, go ahead Mr. Lim, make the best deal of your life… sell high for the city for a change! Let’s see if you can easily get a bid for your white elephant.
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Then, there is the surprise revelation by the city hall that the operation of the fantastic Daongan sa Dawel that serves the River Cruise is actually not a wholly- subsidized project and operation of the city but a partnership with a private group!
Well, that makes sense since Mr. Lim never asked the city government to fund the construction of the docking area, and neither did he present any plan for the city council to consider. To fast-forward the process, what it means is that the private group (whom the city hall refuses to name) agreed to develop and construct the facility at its own expense and at its own risk. It’s a great partnership that should make PNoy green with envy since his Public Private Partnership scheme continues to putter on the drawing board.
Now, let’s do a fast-rewind on the process. I presume that the land on which the facility stands is public land, owned by the city, yet I don’t recall the office of the mayor recommending to the city council that a private group be allowed to lease the land. Is the mayor’s office collecting on the lease? On what basis? How much? Did the facility have a building permit? Did the private group get a business license? Who is operating the stall concessions? The city councilors can no longer stand idly by and pretend the Daongan doesn’t exist. There are deals that have been concluded and the city government has no known participation except that the mayor is doing all the talking (and spending?). The sanggunian must perforce start asking the hard questions and investigate. Or is it afraid to do so?
Note that the development of the area across the road from where the Daongan is situated is now a beehive of construction. Who is doing it? Who is paying for it? Does it have a building permit? Is there a partnership as well? Aha…the plot thickens while Mr. Lim is seen regularly overseeing the work in the area.
Still, I pray for a lasting legacy for Mr. Lim befitting his vision for the city.
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