Questions for incoming Manila mayor Lim

As a Manileño who has seen three mayors at its helm — Mel Lopez, Fred Lim and Lito Atienza — there was no doubt that Atienza built on what Lim has started and brought Manila back into the tourist map and initiated cultural revival and urban development.

I once thought that Manila was a lost cause because of urban decay but I was surprised by the transformation of the city — Roxas Boulevard, the city’s plazas and the public wet markets in particular. There is one thing that I disliked during Atienza’s term — it’s the proliferation of pedicabs along national and city roads.

I hesitantly voted for Ali Atienza, not because I did not appreciate his father’s accomplishments, but because of too much politicking and overexposure (like riding on the popularity of Pacquiao who is also losing in his congressional bid). To me, the accomplishments, which are obvious, should speak for themselves.

Now that it was clear that Senator Lim is set to take over the governance of Manila and after the Atienzas have accepted the defeat, these are the questions that are bugging my mind and given a chance, I would like to ask Mayor Lim personally:

1. What will happen now to Baywalk and the other projects that beautify Manila?
2. What will happen to Unibersidad de Manila (formerly City College of Manila)? Will it go back to the old PNB building along Escolta?
3. Are we going to see a radical change in governance?

I have high regards for Senator Lim because he changed the image of Ermita and addressed the garbage problem of the city. I also voted for him in his bid for the Senate in the last 2004 elections. Am hoping that he will not be like some of our national leaders whose first project in office is to “undo” what his/her predecessors have accomplished, even if these projects have been beneficial.

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