MANILA—Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Saturday paid a glowing tribute to the late Alfredo Lim, saying his predecessor kept their city safe.

Lim, a teary-eyed Moreno added, left a legacy of honesty and integrity that everyone can emulate.

“Hindi natin makakalimutan ang paglilingkod niya sa ating lungsod. Sapagkat hanggang sa ngayon ay patuloy na pinakikibangan ng mga batang Maynila ang mga programa at proyekto ng minamahal nating mayor,” Moreno, who once served as vice mayor under Lim and his partymate, said in a press briefing shortly after Lim's death.

Lim, who earned the moniker “Dirty Harry” for his tough stance against crime, once headed the Western Police District.

During his multiple stints as Manila’s local chief executive, he built 4 hospitals in the city, including Santa Ana Hospital and Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, as well as Universidad de Manila (UDM), which offers free tertiary education to poor students.

He also hailed Lim for cleaning up Manila’s streets and reducing crime.

“Nakikilala rin natin si Mayor Lim sa pagpapatino sa ating siyudad upang hindi bahayan ang ating lungsod ng mga kriminal. Siya'y naging epektibong nagpatakbo ng lungsod upang magbigay ng kapanatagan sa ating kababayan o sinong dadako sa ating lungsod. Malinis at walang bahid ng korapsiyon,” Moreno said.

“Bagay na dapat kayong mga kabataan na nanonood ngayon ay siyang ating tularan na puwede tayong maglingkod sa bayan ng tapat at maayos.”

When he won the mayoralty in 2019, Moreno said he sought Lim’s expertise on how to bring Manila back to its former glory by weeding out corruption.

For Moreno, the death of Lim, 90, served as a warning that the novel coronavirus does not spare anyone.

The mayor said Lim died of COVID-19, but ABS-CBN could not independently verify Moreno’s statement.

“Taos-puso po akong nakikiramay sa pamilya ni Mayor Lim at gamitin natin itong tanda na tayo ay talagang kailangan mag-ingat, at itong pandemyang ito ay walang sinisinong tao,” he said.

“Siguro hanggang sa dulo pinaglingkuran tayo ni Mayor Lim para paalalahanan tayo kung gaano kabigat ang sitwasyon na ating kinakaharap na ito'y makapaminsala sa ating kalusugan.”

As of August 7, Manila has recorded 5,179 COVID-19 cases, of which 236 have died to the disease. The tally also includes 1,253 active cases and 3,690 recoveries.