Ex-mayor Lim sued for graft over unstable Tondo school building

Atty. Zachary Fernandez represents the complainant Rosemarie Fernandez (left) in filing a graft complaint against former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim over the construction of a structurally defective school in Tondo. PHOTO BY MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB/INQUIRER.net

A Graft complaint was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday against former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the construction of an unstable school building in Tondo that cheated government of P68.5 million.

Private citizen Rosemarie Fernandez filed the graft complaint against Lim and 14 others over the construction of the substandard school building in 2010 which was later condemned by the Department of Public Works and Highways and city engineers as unstable.

Fernandez is represented by counsel Zachary Estacio.

Lim is seeking to reclaim the Manila City Hall from reelectionist and former President Joseph Estrada who is running under the Liberal Party in the upcoming May 9 polls.

Also charged was Carlos Barcelona of the CC Barcelona Construction which was awarded the P68-million contract on Jan. 2010 when Lim was still mayor.

According to the complaint, the Rosauro Almario Elementary School, located in Kagitingan corner, Zaragosa streets in Tondo, has structural defects such as the diagonal and horizontal cracks on the walls of the classrooms and perimeter fence.

The building was also leaning away from the adjacent main building by about three millimeters on the ground floor and by 25 to 38 mm at the roof of the fourth floor.

The unstable building was also not equipped with a staircase, with students having to jump to the corridor of the main building to evacuate in case of an earthquake.

Lim and the 14 other respondents were accused of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices for causing undue injury to government with the construction of the unstable building when they gave undue preference to Barcelona through manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence.

“The defects in the Lim building paint a clear picture of substandard services and grossly poor quality of work resulting to loss of millions of taxpayers’ money and which could have resulted to the death of innocent school children and teachers,” the complaint read.

Also charged were former city engineer Armando Andres, project inspector Allan Beboso, former engineering and public works department Material Testing Division chief Teresita Laxa, engineer Manuel Obina, former designing division acting chief Walfrido Novero Jr., technical working group chair Jose Ronaldo Siojo, bids and awards committee (BAC) infrastructure secretariat chair Edgardo Holgado, Lim’s former secretary and BAC chair Rafaelito Garayblas, former city legal officer and BAC vice chair Renato Dela Cruz, BAC member Carlos Baltazar, former city budget officer and BAC member Alicia Moscaya, former city general services officer in charge and BAC member Leanie Sanding and former OIC of the city planning and development office and BAC member Rodolfo Catu. 

According to the complaint, the construction of the building was completed only within three months in April 2010, until structural defects were detected by the city engineer five years later.

The complaint also alleged that Lim and the other respondents proceeded with the project with undue haste.

The building was ordered for immediate closure on July 2015 by the Department of Engineering and Public Works of the Manila city hall under the administration of incumbent Manila mayor former President Joseph Estrada. RAM

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