I am in shock!
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/1/6/MMDA-Chief-Danilo-Lim-dies.html?
The last time I saw Sir Danny Lim was in June of 2019 when my newly created Cybersecurity company, the Kerberus Corporation, rendered a call to him at MMDA Head Office. During the meeting, he introduce me by saying, “Ito si Jess, isa sa mga alaga ko sa Jolo!”
I am including here an excerpt from the book on Pata Island Massacre, still available at the AFP Museum:
“After a week at the Tabak Division Headquarter as a newly minted second lieutenants, General Luga decided to let us loose, the eight of us (2Lts Bolo, Francisco, Mendoza, Pasamba, Segovia, Sugon, Yano and me) and go on rebel hunting, by conducting a nighttime ambuscade. General Luga wanted us to gain the much needed confidence in combat in our baptism of fire. Before us, two PMA graduates from Class ‘79 (2Lts Naparan and Pagunsan) died in combat just a few months upon setting on foot in Jolo. So General Luga vowed not to let this thing happen anymore. He instructed 1Lt Danny Lim (USMA ’78), the Company Commander of the First Reconnaissance Unit (FRU) who took over from 1Lt Dick Morales, the founder, to let his best men accompany us during the skirmish. Distinctively, FRU is composed entirely of highlanders, pure-blooded Igorot warriors. They are best pitted against the Tausogs, whom we all know are ferocious fighters. However General Luga clarified further that Danny’s men must make precautions and be sure no casualty from the class will befell on us; if not, the Division might lose the entire PMA class ‘80 in one count. At the ambuscade area, my mistahs was so mad at me for not controlling my persistent coughing. We were all alert and nervous, adrenaline pumping whenever nearing voices were heard; but mostly silhouettes on the trail under the glare of the quarter moon had no traces of weapons. We were waiting from the team leader of the FRU to open fire first. However, nothing happened that night. No armed rebels passed on the ambush trail…sabi ng mga mistahs ko, sayang! For me, buti na lang!”
Thank you Sir Danny for taking care of us and always welcoming us in your living quarters whenever we were in Jolo town!
May you rest in peace Sir!
Cyber Arnis 
By Ricardo C. Morales ‘77 01/12/21
Danny Lim’s Gold Cross…conclusion
In a campaign where engagements last for minutes, this was a least a 6-hour fight, not qualifying as a battle because of the size of the forces involved. The FRU at best was a reinforced platoon, and on the MNLF side from 80 to a hundred. The FRU suffered 19 wounded and 2 killed in action and no firearms lost to the enemy. It was low on ammo but never completely run out, held its ground and repelled the enemy for a long time. With no radio communication, the only sign that it was still fighting was the sound of battle that guided the responding armored elements to its position.
On the MNLF side, no bodies were recovered – as usual – but a week later intelligence monitored that casualties from this fight were still being evacuated to Sabah.
One of those killed was Albert Tapo, whom I remember because of the saying “kung sino pa yung mabait…”. Tapo, to my mind, was the ideal soldier: fit, young, confident, cheerful, courageous, obedient to authority, got along well with others and had no vices.
Danny got his well-deserved Gold Cross Medal and his WPM (Wounded by Coconut!) for this action that reverberated across the island of Jolo, in the Army and even up to the Department of National Defense which conducted an inquiry about the proper utilization of reconnaissance units. Col. Canieso scoffed at this inquiry and nothing came of it. Conspicuous gallantry at its best.
I was proud of these boys because I had trained them and knew them personally. Names like Awichen, Tamdog, Pulig, Padcayan, Binuag, Balag-ey, etc. They passed the ultimate test of combat with flying colors.
Of Danny I was envious. I felt that I should have been in that fight, although I’m not sure the outcome would be the same if it was me instead of him.
When these events happened more than forty years ago, the Philippine Army and the AFP was very different. There was only one general in each of the four infantry divisions of the Army; there were only 48 infantry battalions. Low numbers battalions were the original battalion combat teams (BCTs) that fought the Huks and in Korea.
Yesterday, they buried my buddy, Danny Lim.
Dan, you earned your GCM the hard way
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By Ricardo C. Morales ‘77 01/09/21 in FB
Danny Lim’s GCM, Part 3
This was shared with me – and gave me permission to share – by a participant in the event, Fred Alfredo Bambico ’78 who led the reinforcement/rescue/extrication of the FRU.
“We were the ones sent to extricate Danny’s unit. I was actually returning to base from a resupply run when I got the order to proceed to Talipao. I had 2 APCs with me. While enroute I linked up with 2 other vehs (a Scorpion Tank and a V150). We arrived at the vicinity of Talipao o/a 1300H and linked up with 4IB(?). They provided 2 squads to guide us to the area where Danny is. We got there o/a 1400H and immediately deployed the 2 APCs to do suppressive cal 50 fires towards the suspected enemy locations while loading the WIAs including Danny into the V150 and withdrew back to where the IBn was located. I left the 2 APCS with the Bn while we proceeded back to Jolo with the V150 and the Scorpion Tank. We arrived in Asturias Hospital o/a 1700H where the Medics took over the care of Danny and the other WIAs. I then proceeded back to Talipao for further deployment.”
In my recollection the site was in the AOR of 33IB which had its CP in Bilaan. The point of entry from the highway would be Bayog.
Conclusion to follow….
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By Ricardo C. Morales ‘77 01/07/21
Danny Lim’s Gold Cross Medal, Part 2
Igorots make excellent soldiers – if you can keep them away from alcohol. They can live off the land, are fiercely loyal and “order is order”. When Roland Dorotheo (Australia ’76) and I trained the FRU in Fort Magsaysay we hammered into the boys the value of fire discipline: fire only when you see a target and try to get one shot, one hit. In my experience, you can tell how good a unit is by its fire discipline. Units that squeeze off full magazines are scared and quickly run out of ammo, aside from giving away their position. We were also the only unit in Jolo – and probably in the entire Army at that time – that could fight at night, long before NVGs. Long before the SRs stepped into the picture, my boys were out there at night laying in wait on known enemy lines of communication.
By early 1980 the FRU was a seasoned unit. The boys had long proven their steadiness under fire. They knew COCOA by heart and orders were more SOP. As soon as the perimeter was established the unit held off the enemy. Dan told me that some of the squad leaders sought permission to sortie – to leave the perimeter and assault the enemy – “salubunging ang kalaban” – but Dan forbade it, intent on conserving his force. There were a few wounded and two who would eventually expire. They lost their radios and didn’t know where the hell that infantry battalion main effort was and they could not call in artillery.
They could hear the taunts and cries of the enemy. And here is where fire discipline paid off. The enemy learned to respect the FRU as many of their comrades fell to the Igorots deliberate and disciplined fire. “Maisug sila!” (They are brave!) the boys claimed hearing from the enemy. One of the boys recounted to me seeing a charging rebel in full battle regalia – bandoleers swinging and anting-anting waving – charging at them, and being shot down by defensive fire.
At 301 Brigade Headquarters in Bud Datu the Brigade Commander Col. Rodolfo Canieso (often called “Pilipino” because he called soldiers “Filipinos” for remaining loyal to the country and the rebels as of another nationality) was frantically cobbling together a response to the situation. The fight had been going on for several hours and only the sound of battle indicated that the beleaguered Igorots were still fighting.
After their frontal charges failed, the enemy tried climbing some trees to gain a vantage point on the FRU but the boys picked them off one by one until they gave up. Next, the enemy fired at the coconuts so that falling nuts would compel the soldiers to expose themselves. One of these nuts struck Danny causing some contusions. I would kid him that this earned him the Wounded by Coconut Medal.
Military proverb: the best laid plans don’t survive first contact with the enemy. How true. In Danny’s case the infantry battalion that was supposed to deliver the main blow was nowhere in sight and could not be contacted. The boys claimed later that it had even withdrawn from the fight. This must have been about mid-morning. Having established a defensive perimeter the boys picked off any enemy that dared to expose themselves. Here is where fire discipline paid dividends. The enemy seemed to have plenty of ammunition. Grenades rained on their position was peppered with grenades; the boys later claimed that two sacks of 40mm shells were collected.
…to be continued, pag na alala pa…
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By Ricardo C. Morales ‘77 01/06/21 in FB
Danny Lim’s Gold Cross – when medals were earned the hard way, mostly…Part 1
In these times when certain individuals have more than 10 GCMs (awarded for gallantry in action not warranting a DCS) I want to share this story which Dan told with me.
We served together in the Forward Reconnaissance Unit of the 1st Infantry Tabak Division in Jolo, Sulu from 1979 to 1980. The mission of our unit, composed exclusively of Igorot soldiers was simple – find the enemy. This particular incident happened while I was away on schooling.
Sometime during the 1st quarter of 1979 (if my memory serves me right) information received by Div Hqs in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu indicated that certain MNLF leaders would be meeting somewhere in Talipao, Sulu. The mission given to the FRU was to confirm or deny such a target rich activity.
Executing a confirm-or-deny mission was simple – go to the place, if you’re shot at, the information is confirmed; if not, the information is denied. The problem with this method is that usually we got into a fight from which we could not easily disengage.
Anyone who fought in Sulu knows that it’s not hard to find the enemy – he finds you. Also, that withdrawal or disengaging from a fight is one of the most difficulty military maneuvers to execute because a poorly controlled retrograde can very quickly deteriorate into a rout.
On this particular mission, the FRU was to penetrate ahead of a full infantry battalion and step aside if the enemy was found. Brilliant.
Like Custer galloping into the whole Sioux nation, Danny Lim and his two platoons of Igorots walked into the mother of rebel conferences. Rebel commanders attending such an event bring along their entire retinues for security and to impress the other fellows. Accounts vary but there were at least a hundred rebels to Danny’s thirty something highlanders.
The fight started early in the day within a few hundred meters of Dan’s Line of Departure, with a meeting engagement – contact between two moving elements. Two things happened here: both Dan’s radios were knocked out and the following infantry battalion was also attacked – or so they claimed.
At any rate, Dan managed to reposition his force on a slight rise surrounded by coconut and coffee trees. The enemy quickly surrounded them and attempted at least twice to take the position by frontal assault. Anyone experiencing this sort of combat will remember it till his last breath: the enemy has fully exposed himself, he is rushing towards you with the intent of killing you. Having been in such a situation before, even now, some forty years later, a shudder still runs down my spine when I recall such an experience.
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Sharing with the bavkgrounder account on how Danny Lim contracted the Covid Virus. This acct is by my close lawyer friend who was Danny Lim’s Counselor during his trial for many cases for his participation in the coup vs GMA:
“Fellow RCMGers: I know Danny (Rtn. Danny Lim) personally. I was his sole lawyer before various military tribunals for the so many cases filed against him under Articles of War and before Makati RTC 150 in connection with the Feb. 24, 2006 coup against Macapagal Arroyo and the Peninsula escapade with Rtn. Sonny. I knew him to be healthy: he was not diabetic, did not smoke, not hypertensive, and did not drink as much as I do, and had the right disposition in life. In fact, he avoided drinking even while he was detained in Camp Capinpin, Tanay. And he was a runner. He exercised almost everyday. Last Dec 23, he met with some of his Mason bros. On Dec 24, he had fever. He had noche buena with family last Dec 25 as the fever had receded. But on Dec 26, fever was up again but he ignored it so that on Dec 28 he went to office at MMDA and had a swab test later. He was brought to St. Luke’s the following day because “mainit na buong katawan niya.” Swab test result came day after, it was positive. He had pneumoia due to covid but he was cured of it. But COVID affected his liver so he had to undergo dialysis. But he made it. He was on the way to recovery, so the doctors thought. Early this morning, he suffered from a heart attack, a fatal one. His liver was the trigger. Why this narrative? Just to say that even if you are healthy it is no guaranty that you will triumph over this COVIDevil. KAYA INGAT INGAT SUPER INGAT”
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