The Rotary Club of Manila held a Polo Club Mayoral Debate last April 22, 2010, participated by mayoralty candidates Lim and Atienza. The debate was a heated one, with both candidates exchanging ideas on various social issues. The discussion went over the issue of drug trade and use, with Lim noting his continuous campaign in preventing the said activities. Yet, his opponent Lito Atienza was in doubt of Lim’s statements due to the involvement of the mayor’s son in selling drugs.
The son of Alfredo Lim, Manuel Lim was busted for selling illegal drugs in 2008 by the authorities. Manila mayor Alfredo Lim conceded that his son was arrested by authorities, but claimed that he did not, in anyway, helped his son with his case. Lim, feeling cornered in the discussion, showed resistance to the topic by accusing the son of his opponent, Ali Atienza, a drug addict. The young Atienza who was in the audience called Lim a liar, as it was impossible for a former athlete like him, who competed in international games, to be a drug addict.
Lim, embarrassed with his allegations, pointed the blame to former vice mayor Lacuna, claiming that Lacuna was the one who said the gossip. Ali then went on the stage and lectured Alfredo Lim about his track record as a national athlete.Lim spoke no more about his allegations against Atienza, while the moderators of the debate take over to calm down both parties. Amidst the heated situation, Lito Atienza managed to stay calm and shrug off the issue, and continued with the debate.
The debate ended in a detached manner, with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim trying to redeem himself from the embarrassing accusation he dropped against Ali Atienza. Unfortunately, Lim must have forgotten that the audience was professional Rotarians. Usually Alfredo Lim can get away with lies when he is facing the city’s customary street crowd of vendors, tricycle drivers and the likes; appearing in Tondo one and two with his usual mediocre style of campaigning. It is just discouraging to see candidates speaking ill about their competitors. Considering that these candidates are educated, people were expecting an intellectual discussion from them to prove their capabilities to lead.
After the incident, Ali Atienza noted in front of the media that he would be pressing charges against the libelous allegations of Lim. The son of Lito Atienza said that he was deeply hurt about the allegations dropped by Lim. Ali Atienza also said during the interview that Lim’s allegations against him were impossible, as he have been compliant with the strict drug testing procedures imposed for competing athletes. Even after the election, Atienza is decided to file charges against Lim to protect his reputation.
As election 2010 is just around the corner, it has been a norm for candidates to speak something negative against their competitors. This instance has been going on in our country for a long time now as a means for the candidates to come clean from their own imperfections. However, for the candidates, they must also realize that by doing this they are also tarnishing their own reputation in the process. The people wants to have a leader who knows how to walk the talk and not just to talk and talk.
The son of mayoralty candidate Lito Atienza is planning to press charges against his father’s opponent Alfredo Lim after the current Manila mayor accused him of being a drug addict. The incident took place during the Mayoralty Debate last April 22, 2010 at the Manila Polo Club. Lim dropped the allegations when the topic of drug abuse was tackled. The young Atienza insisted that he would continue the charges even after election 2010 has ended.
- Joel Dumayog
