MANILA, Philippines — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Danilo Lim died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning at the age of 65, while recovering from COVID-19.
The MMDA mourned the passing of the former brigadier general, who had served the agency since 2017, by flying the Philippine flag at half mast at its headquarters in Makati City.
His cremated remains were set to be transferred to Heritage Park, followed by the funeral on Saturday at Libingan ng mga Bayani.
According to the MMDA, Lim prioritized the welfare of employees by providing them with accident insurance and other appropriate benefits.
There were more tributes, with the Department of National Defense saying the country “lost an esteemed leader, who valued public service above all else.”
Health Secretary Francisco Duque IIII called Lim “a true leader and front-liner” while Makati Mayor Abigail Binay said “he was a true public servant.”
“Danny Lim died. But the dream will never die. A worthy foe in 1989; a worthier friend and a dedicated coworker in government; over and above all that, a brother in the Craft,” said Foreign Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr.
On Dec. 29, Lim announced that he had contracted the coronavirus despite being cautious and adhering to health protocols. He immediately went into self-isolation, but continued to work remotely while experiencing mild symptoms.
Born in 1955, he topped the entrance exam for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated first in his class in 1978.
Lim returned to the Philippines after taking more military courses in the U.S., receiving many distinctions, including the Gold Cross Medal for Gallantry in Action.
However, he would be involved in coup attempts against two presidents.
Lim led the failed December 1989 coup d’etat against former President Corazon Aquino, considered the most serious attempt to unseat her. He later surrendered and was detained for two years before being granted amnesty by President Fidel Ramos in 1995.
Lim was also allegedly involved in coup plots against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, including the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege. He was jailed for four years and released on bail in 2010. That same year, he ran for senator under the Liberal Party but did not win.
In 2011, he was granted amnesty by former President Benigno Aquino III, along with soldiers who had joined the July 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, February 2006 failed coup attempt and Marine standoff, and the November 2007 siege of The Peninsula Manila.
Lim was appointed as the customs deputy commissioner for intelligence in 2011 but he resigned in July 2013 due to allegations of corruption within the bureau.
He was then appointed MMDA chair by President Duterte in May 2017
—With reports from Inquirer Research