Former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who served Manila twice — in 1992 to 1998 and in 2007 to 2013, has left behind a legacy of law and order, and his deep concern for the education and health of the poor residents of his beloved city.
A public servant for 50 years, Mayor Lim chose to follow the road to serve the people which started when he was a young boy with a dream — to be a cop. He joined the police force when he was 22.
He became one of the most decorated policemen in Philippine history, who later made his way to the Manila City Hall, Senate, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
When the former Manila mayor passed away on Saturday, August 8, the lights of the Manila City Hall tower went off to mourn the passing of a public servant. He was 90 years old.
During his 12 years as Manila mayor, Lim translated his concern for the poor’s education and health into buildings for hospitals and a university.
He built hospitals in each of Manila's six districts — the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center in Tondo, Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital in Binondo, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center in Malate, and Sta. Ana Hospital.
He established the Universidad de Manila that provides free tertiary education to the city’s poor students.
Lim launched crackdowns on crime and corruption in the country’s capital. He declared night clubs, massage parlors, and motels— suspected to be the venues of illegal activities—as illegal and ordered the owners of the said establishments to leave the city.
He also implemented programs to improve the city’s waste disposal, flood control, and traffic by banning provincial buses.
His request that every homemaker and storekeeper plant a tree became one of his endearing qualities that showed his concern for the environment amid Manila’s dense population of people and structures.
His no-nonsense and swift justice style of leadership, that can be accredited for his “Dirty Harry” moniker from the Clint Eastwood movies, earned him the respect of, not only his admirers, but also his political rivals.
‘To give the poor better lives’
After reports of his passing came out, former President and Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada was among the first to post a tribute for him.
“Naging magkatunggali man kami sa pulitika, alam ko na iisa lang ang aming hangarin, ang mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang mahihirap nating mga kababayan, lalo na ang Masang Manilenyo (Even though we became political rivals, I know that we both had one aim, to give the poor better lives, especially the Manileño masses),” he said in his statement.
A reminder for us to be careful
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who served as Lim’s vice mayor from 2007 to 2013, said his former partner’s death can be seen as his final act of service, to remind the public to be careful of the deadly COVID-19.
“Siguro hanggang sa dulo, pinaglingkuran tayo ni Mayor Lim… para paalalahanan tayo kung gaano kabigat ang sitwasyon na ating kinakaharap (Maybe until the end, Mayor Lim served us… by reminding us of the gravity of the situation we are facing),” he said in a live broadcast.
“If I may look at it that way, I think Mayor Lim did service for us to remind us to be careful,” he added.
Born and bred in Manila
Lim, born on December 21, 1929 in Tondo, Manila, was left by his mother at the Hospicio de San Jose orphanage. A few years later, his maternal grandmother adopted and brought him home to Sampaloc.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1951 and Bachelor of Law degree in 1963 at the University of the East. He also graduated from the National Defense College of the Philippines with a master’s degree in national security administration in 1981.
From then, he quickly rose from the ranks and garnered around 40 medals and 400 commendations while he was in the police force, according to Encyclopedia Britannica online.
He served as district director of the Western Police District (now Manila Police District), became district director of the Northern Police District, and a superintendent of the Philippine National Police Academy.
In 1989, he was appointed director of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Police to politician
Lim’s entry into politics was marked by a victory against six opponents for the Manila mayoralty in 1992.
He was reelected mayor for a second term in 1995 before deciding to run for the presidency in 1998.
However, the presidential seat was won by Estrada, who later appointed him as DILG secretary.
In 2001, he attempted a return to the Office of the Manila mayor but lost to his former running mate Lito Atienza.
But as the song goes, Lim kept coming back.
He was elected senator in 2004 but resigned in the middle of his term to once again run as Manila mayor. This time, his bid was successful, and served from 2007 until Estrada won against him in 2013.
Lim tried to win back the position twice but lost against Estrada in 2016 and Domagoso in 2019.
PNP pays tribute to Lim
Officers and other personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) honored on Sunday their former boss, former Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim who died on August 8, the day the organization was celebrating its 119th anniversary.
In a statement, the 209,000-strong PNP extended its condolences to the family of Lim who also served as mayor of the City of Manila and a senator.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and offer our comforting thoughts and prayers in this time of bereavement,” the PNP said in a statement.
“General Lim passed on to the great beyond on the same day (August 8, 2020) that the PNP commemorates the establishment of the police service
in the Philippines 119 years ago. He must be really destined to go this way in the name of the profession that he truly loved and cherished,” it added.
Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, said the police organization is grateful for the contributions of Lim to improve the operational capability of the national police force.
“His undying words ‘The law applies to all, otherwise, none at all’ reminds us that we live under a regime of law where the law is supreme, and nobody but nobody is above the law,” said Banac.
“We will always be grateful for the legacy of efficiency left by General Lim that shall serve as our own standard of performance in the police service. The PNP is honoured to pay him our last respects and accord him the final honors befitting a police veteran and a statesman,” said Banac. (With Aaron
Recuenco)