Former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who was honored as one of PeopleAsia’s People of the Year 2005 awardees, passed away on Saturday afternoon at the age of 90. As of this posting, Lim’s family hasn’t released details on the cause of his death, but it was his daughter Cynthia, in a report by CNN Philippines, who confirmed his passing.
In a tweet posted by The Philippine Star, it quoted Manila Mayor Isko Moreno that the veteran politician died due to COVID-19.
Lim became Manila mayor in 1992 and was reelected again in 1995.
Also known for his tough stance against crime, Lim, a veteran policeman, led the National Bureau of Investigation during the final months of then President Corazon Aquino’s administration in 1992.
Lim later ran for president in 1998, but lost to then former San Juan Mayor Joseph Estrada, who later appointed him secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government in 2000. His stint, however, was cut short when Estrada was ousted from power later that year. In 2004, Lim ran for senator and won.
In 2007, Lim decided to give up his post as senator and ran again for mayor of Manila. He defeated former rival Lito Atienza’s son, Ali Atienza.
“Before he ran for president of the Philippines, before he became senator of the republic, before he became the maverick mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim was dubbed ‘Dirty Harry’ for his no-nonsense face-off with crime syndicates and for his iron-hand style of running a police force and a law enforcement agency,” wrote PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez in her June 16, 2009 “People” column, which appears regularly in The Philippine Star.
Joanne further wrote: “Now the feisty mayor (once christened by lady journalists as the “Lim Kuan Yew” of the country) is back at the helm of this historic city. Back to his roots where he learned the values and priorities under the roof of an orphanage run by nuns. Back to his comfort zone where his straightforward and transparent style of governing earned him the respect, and not the ire, of his constituents. Back to his first love–Manila.”
In 2019, Lim made one final bid to recapture the top post in Manila when he ran against incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada and Isko Moreno, his former vice mayor, some years back. He emerged third in the the three-cornered fight, which was won by Isko.–Alex Y. Vergara and Hermes Joy Tunac
