METRO Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman and former Philippine Army brigadier general, Danilo Delapuz Lim, had passed away on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, apparently from complications after a bout with COVID-19.
An idealist and patriot all his life, Lim first rose into prominence as one of the leaders of the ‘Young Officers’ Union’ (YOU), a branch of the ‘Reform the Armed Forces Movement’ (RAM) which staged several failed coups against the administration of Pres. Corazon Aquino, during the late ‘80s.
Lim also participated at attempts to topple down the administration of Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the last of which was the so-called ‘Manila Peninsula Incident’ in 2007.
As an Army officer and one of the luminaries of the elite, ‘Scout Rangers’ Lim received many awards and citations that include a ‘Gold Cross’ for bravery in action and the ‘Presidential Medal of Merit.’
When this native of Solano, Nueva Viscaya, decided on a military career, he topped the entrance examination for the ‘Philippine Military Academy’ and later on, the entrance examination at the ‘United States Military Academy’ at Westpoint. He was a member of the PMA’s ‘Makatarungan Class’ of 1978.
Lim was granted provisional liberty in early 2010 on the guarantee of former AFP chief, Gen. Delfin Bangit and ran, but lost,’ in the senatorial election that year.
Pres. Benigno Aquino III subsequently appointed Lim as deputy commissioner for intelligence (DCI) at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) but he resigned in 2013, disgusted over corruption in the agency.
Pres. Duterte then appointed Lim to the MMDA post on May 22, 2017.
Born in 1955, the respected military officer and gentleman would have turned 66 years old this coming June 2.