‘An esteemed leader’: DND mourns passing of MMDA chair Danilo Lim

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday condoled with the family and loved ones of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairperson Danilo Lim, calling him an “esteemed leader who valued public service above all else.”

Lim, a retired military general, died Wednesday morning at the age of 65.

He was also a West Point graduate, one of the only a few who served in the Philippine military with a West Point degree.

“With the passing of General Lim, the country lost an esteemed leader, who valued public service above all else. His vision, which he carried through from his beginnings as a young officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines to his later years as a civilian public servant, was to uphold good governance and lead by example,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

Lim was a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1978 and was appointed MMDA chairperson in 2017.

“As chair of the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) and NTF-COVID-19 (National Task Force against COVID-19), I am grateful for General Lim’s support to our various inter-agency emergency response operations through the years,” Lorenzana said.

“I also convey my sympathies to General Lim’s loved ones and his colleagues at the MMDA. May he rest in peace,” the Defense Chief added.

Lim confirmed on December 29 last year that he had tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

JE