MANILA, Philippines—A lawyer plans to file a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim over the recent China trip undertaken by some 700 village heads using public funds.
Apart from Lim, officials of the city’s Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Villages), which organized the trip, could also be held liable, said lawyer Vladimir Cabigao.
Cabigao criticized the local executives’ “excessive spending,” saying it was a clear misuse of public funds.
He cited the city government’s policy against the holding of seminars outside Manila which Lim reportedly issued last year.
“According to the policy instruction, the holding of seminars and lectures in far-flung areas are discouraged due to shortfall in revenue collection and budgetary constraint,” Cabigao said. “But this was utterly disregarded by Mayor Lim when he allowed the foreign travel of the barangay captains.”
He said Lim and the leadership of the Liga ng mga Barangay have exposed themselves to possible criminal and administrative suit before the Office of the Ombudsman for violation of the policy instruction.
“It must be satisfactorily explained to the public the purpose of such trip because public funds were used,” he said.
Lim has already issued a statement saying he saw nothing wrong with the trip. He stressed that no city fund was used for it.
But Joel Par, director of Liga and chairman of Barangay 859 Zone 93 in Pandacan, admitted that the money used for the trip came from the villages’ annual contribution to the league.
“After having been apprised that no city funds will be touched and the chairmen will be rendering service while on leave of absence, I interposed no objection and signed the recommendation (for the issuance of travel authority),” Lim said.
Lim also clarified that his role was merely recommendatory while the final approval rested with the Department of Interior and Local Government, which ultimately allowed the chairmen to travel.
“But just the same, I will be asking the officials of the league if the trip was worthwhile by means of a report on what they have learned from that activity,” he said, adding that the trip was intended for the chairmen to learn and share experiences and insights with their counterparts in other countries.
“Seeing personally the fruits of the development in Shenzhen in eco-tourism, social infrastructures, environmental management, and the improvement in the lives of their people will give our local officials the insights on how they can manage the same development in their respective jurisdiction,” Lim said.
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