Carolyn Bonquin, ABS-CBN News

But who&#x27;s paying the lawyer?MANILA - A concerned citizen of Manila has filed a graft case against former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim over the alleged unsound structure of a P68.521-million school building in Tondo, Manila built during his term.The complainant, Rosemarie Fernandez, a resident of Tondo, accused Lim of causing damages to government after allowing the construction of a &quot;substandard&quot; building in Rosauro Almario Elementary School.The complaint said the Engineering and Public Works Department in Manila City Hall observed that the Lim Building is &quot;leaning away from the main building&quot;, has no direct access to stairs, and diagonal and horizontal cracks are evident in its perimeter fence. The school building was ordered closed on July 20, 2015.&quot;The defects...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 death of innocent schoolchildren and teachers,&quot; the complaint read.Other respondents in the complaint are: former city engineer Armando Andres; engineering and public workers project inspector Allan Beboso; former DEPW material testing division chief Teresita Laxa; DEPW Engineer Manuel Obina; former DEPW Designing Division acting chief Walfrido Novero, Jr.; technical working group chair Jose Ronaldo Siojo; Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) secretariat for infrastructure chair Edgardo Holgado; BAC chairman Rafaelito Garayblas; BAC vice chairman Renato Dela Cruz; and BAC members Carlos Baltazar, Alicia Moscaya, Leanie Sanding, and Rodolfo Catu.The owner of the contractor, CC Barcelona Construction, is also included in the complaint.This is the third graft charge filed against Lim for the past six months, including the complaint against the allegedly anomalous parking meter contract last December, and another complaint on alleged unpaid tax deficiencies last February. All complaints have been filed by Manila citizens.Lim, who is running again for mayor, earlier called the complaints as &quot;negative press releases&quot; that seek to tarnish his reputation this election season.When asked if the the complaint is politically motivated, Fernandez&#x27;s lawyer Atty. Zachary Estacio said: &quot;If sa political climate today, managot ang dapat managot... Maganda ang sitwasyong ito. It has something to do with the readiness of the complaints.&quot;Estacio also said he has no information about the previous complaints against Lim.Meanwhile, Fernandez said her concern about the safety of her grandchild who is studying in the said school motivated her to file the complaint.&quot;Concerned lola rin ako...baka mapahamak...kaya humingi ako ng tulong kay attorney,&quot; Fernandez told the media.However, Fernandez refused to say how she came to know her lawyer, Atty. Zachary Estacio. Estacio admitted that the case is &#x27;not totally pro bono,&#x27; while Fernandez admitted that she does not pay for the lawyer&#x27;s legal services.

MANILA - A concerned citizen of Manila has filed a graft case against former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim over the alleged unsound structure of a P68.521-million school building in Tondo, Manila built during his term.

Lim faces graft case over Tondo school building

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Metro Manila

Lim faces graft case over Tondo school building

Carolyn Bonquin,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 06, 2016 12:43 PM PHT

|

Updated April 06, 2016 12:44 PM PHT

Read More:

Tondo

Manila

Alfredo Lim

lim

school

infrastructure

school building

manila city hall

halalan

halalan2016

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.