Lim charged over pay parking scheme

Just about the only thing going for owning a car and using it in Metro Manila these days is the convenience of having a car.

A COMPLAINT for graft was filed Monday against former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim in the Office of the Ombudsman over the allegedly “grossly disadvantageous” service contract that the city government awarded to two private firms for the operation of public parking meters in 2012.

In an eight-page affidavit, Ricardo Cruz, who identified himself as a Manila resident and “active citizen of the Philippines,” claimed that the city lost some P3.46 billion in projected revenues when Lim signed the tripartite memorandum of agreement with Tokagawa Global Corp. and Matsuyama Corp.

Also charged for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were Tokagawa vice president Rorie Cariaga and Matsuyama managing officer Napoleon Ibalio.

Cruz said that Lim signed the agreement with the two private companies on Sept. 17, 2012, giving them the authority to operate the public parking services in Manila for 25 years.

As stated in the contract, the firms would take 80 percent of the collected parking fees while the remaining 20 percent would go to the city government. With an initial investment of P11.6 million, Cruz said the firms earned P216.4 million in profits during their first two years of operation while city hall made P61 million. -Marlon Ramos