CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Complaints for large-scale swindling were filed against Pampanga 3rd District board member Estelito P. Lim, alias Shiwen Lim, by 19 persons at the City of San Fernando Prosecutor’s Office here on Sept. 29.
Lugging boxes of evidentiary documents, the complainants, led by spouses Janica Faye Lapira and Rowell, cited non-payments of principal and interest for their investments, ranging from P100,000 and above.
Among the documents attached to their complaints is a certification by the Securities and Exchange Commission confirming that Lim’s SLGroup Restaurants Inc. which operated the now closed Umpukan eatery here is “not authorized to issue, sell or offer for sale to the public, securities such as but not limited to, shares of stock, investment contracts, debt instruments and virtual currencies without prior registration statement approved by the Commission.”
The complainants allege that most of Lim’s 11 companies were not registered with the SEC.
Aside from Lim, three of his staff included as respondents to the complaint are Arturo Canlas III, alias LJ Canlas, Geraldine Tiongson, and Evelyn Dayrit.
Large-scale estafa is not bailable if the crime is considered syndicated estafa under Presidential Decree 1689 or if the amount involved is P100,000 or more under General Order No. 54, a government search site shows.
The complaint is just the most recent of Lim’s legal entanglements.
Garnishment
On July 28, 2025, the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 2 issued a notice of garnishment – Civil Case Mo. 10761 (Collection of Sum of Money and Damages) – to the manager of Land Bank of the Philippines, JASA, City of San Fernando upon the account of Lim and “all other accounts…goods, stocks, interest in stocks and shares and any other personal properties” of Lim in the bank’s possession and control sufficient to cover P1,130,000 “with conventional interest of 6% per annum from May 30, 2023 until its full satisfaction.”
The garnishment was signed by Christian Anthony A. Concepcion, Sheriff III.
Sum of money writ
On Aug. 13, 2025, Sheriff Marvin Minay served a writ of execution from the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 115, Taguig City against Lim ordering him to pay Zyneserve Inc. the amount of P435,528.95 and P8,556.18 (cost of suit) reckoned from July 12, 2024. The sheriff said it took them a year to determine where Lim could be found. His election to the board pointed to them to the sangguniang panlalwigan office to serve the writ.
Arrest order
The Municipal Circuit Trial Court, Third Judicial Region in Mexico town issued a warrant of arrest signed August 11, 2025 by Presiding Judge Richard Gazzingan Evangelista against Lim for three counts of estafa.
Lim posted bail for this arrest warrant. Punto News Team
