A COMPLAINT for graft has been filed against former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim for entering into a "grossly disadvantageous" deal with two private firms for the installation of parking meters in the city.
Ricardo Santos Cruz, a resident of Manila, filed the complaint against Lim and two others at the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged violation of Sections 3 (e) and (g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Also named as Lim's co-respondents were Rorie Cariaga, vice president of Tokagawa Global Corporation; and Napoleon Ibalio, managing officer of Matsuyama Corporation. Both firms were involved in the city's P11.59-million parking ticket machines project from 2010-2013.
Jeaime Salvatierra, Cruz's legal counsel, said the complaint stem from the evaluation report submitted in October by the City Auditor's Office to incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
The evaluation report signed by supervising auditor Mario Lipana revealed that the Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (TMOA) entered by Lim with the private firms was "grossly disadvantageous" to the City Government.
Salvatierra said the City Government is getting only 20 percent of the total earnings while the private firms get 80-percent share.
She said that in 2013 and 2014, the City Government got only P61 million out of the total earnings of P277 million.
"Henceforth, it is clear that respondent Lim was manifestly partial to the respondent contractors in awarding the project for parking meter system to them and that the TMOA which respondent Lim entered into was grossly disadvantageous to the government," the complaint read.
She added that out of the P11.5 million investments made by the contractors, they got more than P216 million based on the audit report.
In the same complaint, the camp of Cruz also questioned the 25-year life span of the contract, saying the parking machines are no longer serviceable when turn over to the City Government as stipulated in the contract.
Salvatierra added that upon the expiry of the contract, the two private contractors would have earned a total of P2.77 billion while the City Government would get only a measly P693.48 million.
The complainant said that the installation of the parking meter system "does not fall under any of the eligible types of projects" enumerated under the amended implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Government Procurement Policy Law.
Lim, who lost to Estrada by a slim margin in the 2013 mayoralty race, is eyeing a return to the Manila City Hall via the 2016 polls. (Sunnex)