Lim sued over 2012 parking meter deal

MANILA, Philippines - Graft charges were lodged against former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim with the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday for his role in an allegedly anomalous parking meter deal in 2012.

Tokagawa Global Corp. vice president Rorie Cariaga and Matsuyama Corp. managing officer Napoleon Ibalio were also named respondents.

Lim and the private firms are being accused of entering into a 25-year contract for installation of parking meters and management devices in the city that is allegedly extremely unfavorable to the government.

Former mediaman Ricardo Santos Cruz, through lawyer Moses Pua, alleged that Lim and the two firms signed a 25-year tripartite memorandum of agreement on Sept. 17, 2012.

Cruz said the agreement allowed Matsuyama to provide parking meters and management devices to the city government. The meters and devices will be installed, operated and maintained by Tokagawa.

Based on the agreement, the city government would receive 20 percent of the net proceeds while Tokagawa and Matsuyama would receive 80 percent.

Cruz said that based on the city auditor’s report, Lim entered into the deal through an “unsolicited proposal.”  

He said the city auditor also noted that the parking meter project “does not fall under any of the eligible types of projects” under government procurement laws.

Cruz said the city auditor reported that the agreement and the project are damaging to the city government due to disparity in the investment made by the contractors and the money they earned.

He said the firms invested only P11.6 million to start the project but earned P216 million since operating in 2013.

The two firms could earn about P3.46 billion for the duration of the 25-year contract while the government would earn only P693.5 million, Cruz said. 

“The city of Manila could have profited more from this project, had it not been for Lim’s machinations,” he added.