Alfredo Lim, 1929-2020
At the age 90, Filipino politician and retired police officer Alfredo Siojo Lim passed away, his daughter Cynthia Lim, as well as his chief of staff confirmed.
On Aug. 7, Mayor Isko Moreno confirmed that Lim had been infected with COVID-19.
From the Manila slums, this orphan rose to become one of most heavily decorated police officers in the history of Manila.
Alfredo Lim then became mayor of Manila twice, first from 1992 to 1998 and then from 2007 to 2013.
From the Manila slums, this orphan rose to become one of most heavily decorated police officers in the history of Manila.
He joined the police force in 1951, after earning his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of the East. He went on to accomplish a law degree in 1963 and, from the National Defense College of the Philippines, a master's degree in national security administration in 1981
In between his mayoral stints, he was senator from 2004 to 2007.
Among his many strengths was discipline, which he enforced, especially as mayor, at the risk of losing his popularity.
But the legacy of Mayor Alfredo Lim will always include his phenomenal rise from poverty. May his memory always remind us that we, no matter where or who we are or whom we have or do not have around us to depend on, have the option not to be a victim of our circumstances.