Lim’s lawyer: Former mayor never offered himself to be Estrada’s adviser

We have read with bitter resentment Mr. Alex Magno’s statements contained in his column under First Person entitled “Green” published in the Opinion page of your July 9, 2013 issue which reads: At this point, it seems, the only thing that can stop Estrada is a disqualification case that, rather surprisingly, was given due course by the Supreme Court even as the same was earlier trashed by the Comelec. The former mayor, Alfredo Lim, initially offered to be Estrada’s adviser. When that offer was spurned by the new mayor, Lim filed a motion to intervene in support of the disqualification case.

It is not for us to demistify Mr. Magno’s allegiance to Mr. Estrada for whatever consideration, if that pleases him in every stroke of his pen.

What is infuriating is his claim that Mayor Lim filed the motion to intervene after an alleged offer to be Mr. Estrada’s adviser was spurned. What a brazen lie!

Either Mr. Magno was fed a false information or he himself concocted such a scenario. Either way, he has lost his sensibility and credibility for peddling an unpardonable deception.

Mayor Lim never offered, much less, thought of offering himself to be Mr. Estrada’s adviser, before, during and after the polls.

The public had witnessed in various media fora, printed and live, the bitter debate that Mayor Lim and Mr. Estrada had been engaged in, such that, their political quarrel had worsened and their enmity had further aggravated.

We cannot believe that Mr. Magno did not have knowledge of even one occasion of the political skirmishes that transpired between Mr. Estrada and Mayor Lim.

That being so, Mayor Lim had no reason to entertain serving the person whom he had publicly and openly charged as a convicted plunderer and ex-convict during the campaign period. 

Mayor Lim had never met Mr. Estrada before, during and after the elections, except for those scheduled confrontations sponsored either by the media people or the schools during the campaign period to provide information to the electorate on Mayor Lim’s prior accomplishments, platform of government, and future plans for the City. We assure Mr. Magno that as a public servant for half a century, Mayor Lim had always maintained self-respect and dignity whenever decisions were arrived at.

For Mr. Magno’s information, we intervened in the disqualification case to demonstrate that we believe in the majesty and rule of law.

We do not wish to comment on his opinion that it surprised him that the High Court gave due course to the intervention even if the Comelec dismissed the disqualification case, as that is sub judice and, doing so constitutes disrespect to the Court, thus, beyond discussion.

For the sake of truth and fairness, please give this letter a space in your newspaper. Thank you.