Lim vows to bring back 'shame campaign' if elected Manila mayor

Manila mayoral candidate Alfredo Lim aims to bring back his "shame campaign" of labeling houses of drug pushers once elected back into office in the May 9 elections.

"Pipinturahan ko ulit mga bahay nila," Lim said during the second round of Thrilla In UP Manila forum at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Science Hall on Wednesday afternoon.

Lim, a former police official, earned the nickname "Dirty Harry" for his notorious anti-crime campaigns during his term as Manila mayor in the 1990s, among them spray-painting the houses of convicted drug pushers.

"Focus on the pusher not the user because he is a victim. Yung nagkakalat ang dapat aksyunan," Lim said during the forum. "During my administration, walang nahuhuli sa drugs dahil pinaalis ko na nga."

In 2007, Lim made headlines when he ordered the demolition of Quiapo's so-called Little Vietnam, which was a notorious haven for criminals, especially drug pushers.

"Drug addiction is a menace to all people. We will have to apply the law to the letter," Lim said during the forum.

His shame campaign eventually expanded to cover moneychangers accused of cheating tourists and Filipinos in the Ermita tourist district. 

Lim's opponent, Manila Rep.Amado Bagatsing, meanwhile, said that while illegal drugs have been a problem in Manila, it should also be a addressed on the national level.

"A drug problem is not a local problem. It is a national concern. We want this effort to be a national effort," he said.

Prostitution, traffic

Also during the forum, Lim boasted that during his first term as Manila mayor, he was able to close down 250 nightclubs in the Malate area, resulting in him being sued 113 times.

"Naabswelto ako sa husgado dahil nalaman na tama pala yung ginagawa ko to protect our women," he said, as he vowed to do the same once elected back into office even if it means being sued multiple times again.

Bagatsing, for his part, said bars that don't engage in prostitution should be allowed to operate. "Kung ikaw may pub or bar ka dyan pero hindi prostitution, puwede ka," he said.

Bagatsing also offered his proposed solutions to heavy traffic on Manila streets: "Main and secondary roads from, let's say 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., no parking. And add one-way streets."

Bagatsing also suggested activating barangay traffic brigades to augment the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and encourage the business sector to build a parking complex.

Lim, meanwhile, proposed to adopt "a monorail system within the city of Manila touching all districts."

"Gagawa tayo ng walkway, elevated platform para di na dadaan ang mga tao sa major intersections. Monorail system is a must in order to solve traffic problem," he said. —KBK, GMA News