METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim, one of the most active officials during the Covid-19 pandemic, passed away around 7 a.m. of January 6 due to cardiac arrest, his family said. He was 65.
The MMDA family condoled with his relatives, even as several staff who had face-to-face dealings with him went on quarantine, since Lim had announced on December 29 he was infected with Covid-19. They all underwent RT-PCR tests but all tested negative for it, Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago said in a radio interview.
A former Army general, Lim is survived by his wife Rep. Aloysia Tiongson-Lim and daughter Aika.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that the Department of Health expressed its sincerest condolences to the MMDA and the family of the Lim, whom he called a “true leader and frontliner.”
“May he rest in peace,” Duque tweeted.
Lim served as MMDA chairman under the Duterte administration, from May 2017 to present.
Lim was credited with initiating efforts in alleviating problems confronting Metro Manila by going back to the basics.
He also focused on instilling and implementing strict discipline among agency employees.
Under his helm, the welfare of the employees got priority, as lim by ensured they receive accident insurance and other appropriate benefits.
Lim, who was never embroiled in any scandal despite being jailed for his role in the 1989 coup plot against President Corazon Aquino when he was then chief of the Scout Ranger regiment.
He also envisioned the MMDA to be one of the most transparent government agencies that the public can trust.