The Rotary Club of Manila held a Polo Club Mayoral Debate last April 22, 2010, participated by mayoralty candidates Lim and Atienza. Various social issues were tackled by the competing candidates during the debate. When the drug problem of Manila was tackled, Lim outlined his strong campaign to prevent the rampant drug trade and use in the city; stating that he incessantly ceased the existence of drugs in Manila during his reign as the city's Mayor. However, Lim's opponent, Lito Atienza doubted his authenticity due to the fact that Lim's son was arrested for drug pushing.
It could be recalled that the son of Lim, Manuel Lim was apprehended in 2008 for selling illicit drugs, a nonbailable offense that also carries life imprisonment. Manila mayor Alfredo Lim, admitted that his son was busted by the PDEA in 2008, but denied helping his son. As Lim was placed in the hot seat, he strained the topic by accusing the son of Atienza, Ali Atienza, a national athlete and a gold medalist of the taekwondo Asian games, of being a drug addict himself. Ali Atienza, who was in the audience, said to Lim that his accusations was impossible considering that he was an international athlete who complied with the strict drug testing procedures prior to competing in the taekwondo arena.
Embarassed with his accusation, Lim tried to come out clean by saying that it was former vice mayor Lacuna who said that Ali was a drug addict. Ali then went on the stage and lectured Alfredo Lim about his track record as a national athlete.Lim, at that moment, humiliatingly yield to the fumes of the young Atienza, as the moderators of the debate took control of the situation. Lito Atienza on the other hand, kept his cool and went on with the debate despite his son being accused by his competitor as a drug user.
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. With his mediocre means of campaigning, Lim usually pleases the city's usual crowd but he must have considered that what he was facing during that time were professional individuals who can be critical about his actions. It is just disheartening to see how this form of unintelligent debate can take place. As professionals, people were expecting a more academic and intellectual discussions from the candidates.
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 noted that it pained him, as a former athlete, to be accused of being a drug addict. He also said that he worked hard to be on the top of his game, and it was really foul for a mayor to come into a ridiculous accusation against a former athlete, who before competing, needs to comply with strict drug testing procedures. Atienza said that even after the election is over he would continue the case against Lim in order to give justice to his reputation that the mayor has tarnished.
As election 2010 is just around the corner, it has been a norm for candidates to speak something negative against their competitors. This practice has been around for ages, and has since served as a means to drag their competitors down. However, those who wish to run for office must also realize that speaking ill against opponents is not the right means to win the votes of the public. For the record, the public is now tired of drama, what is important is 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
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