Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno is facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for playing a major role in the fraudulent bidding and sale of the Century Park Hotel at a bargain price of P 1 Billion. Lim and Moreno alongside 20 councilors, four other city officials and four John Does are included in a 26-page complaint filed by former legal adviser of Lim and close friend Atty. Reynaldo L. Bagatsing. The complaint calls for nullification of the said anomalous transaction and the penalization of the perpetrators involved.
Bagatsing has pointed out that the transaction is manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the City of Manila as the city is set to lose almost P2 billion. The five-star Century Park Hotel is currently sited on a 4.5 hectare prime property which could have given the city government with at least P3 billion in sales.Instead, the city government sold the prime property at a bargain price of P1 billion, a far cry from what should have been its original price. It was claimed by Bagatsing that Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno used their authority to make sure that the transaction will take place for the benefit of the mayor's ally in Lucio Tan.
The documents obtained by Bagatsing from the City Assessor's Office shows that the land occupied by the hotel was inexplicably reduced to an area of 22, 967 square meters and worth P 965,261,850 or almost P1 billion. The price of which the land was sold was not based on the current zonal valuation of the land as directed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.In reference to the BIR's assessment, the current value and selling price of prime properties in the Malate-Ermita district ranges from P 50,000 to P 80,000 per square meter. Using the current assessment, the land should have been acquired for about P3 billion.
The land was sold to the alleged winning bidder, Maranaw Hotels and Resort Corporation, the owner of Century Park Hotel. The corporation is publicly listed and owned by business tycoon Lucio Tan, a known ally of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.In 2003, Tan's firm bought the rights to operate the hotel in 2003 from Tourist Trade and Travel Corporation of the Martel family.Maranaw Hotels and Resort Corporation, the current hotel's operator, submitted a P1 billion bid and was later given with the right to the land.It was believed that Lim used his authority to pave the way for the said anomalous transaction due to his closeness to Tan.
It was believed that the city council composed of 20 councilors have given Lim the authority to negotiate the sale of the hotel through City Council Resolution No. 176 adopted on August 5, 2008.The city council was also the one who affirmed and ratified the award and sale to Tan's firm through Resolution No. 278 approved on December 23, 2008. The said transaction also took place in complete haste, in only a span of five months after Lim was granted authority to negotiate the sale. To make sure that the anomalous transactions will not be uncovered, the Committee on Bid and Award issued and published erratic and false notice of auction in the in the Philippine Star.
All the evidences gathered and collected show clear evidences that there had been an attempt to reduce the price tag for the said property which clearly makes this transaction a sweetheart deal.The deal has benefited an ally of Mayor Lim and has betrayed the city's taxpayers and residents. The involvement of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim in this anomalous transaction is a clear evidence of abuse of authority and power, and a clear betrayal of the public's interest. The Ombudsman on its part must take a concerted effort in bringing all the people involved to justice.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno are facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent bidding and sale of the Century Park Hotel at a bargain price of P 1billion. The involvement of the Mayor of Manila in this fraudulent transaction is a clear indication of abuse of authority and power, and a clear betrayal of the public's interest.
-Julius Arante
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