4 May 2022
As Manila Polo Club serves as a second home for most of our Members, others actually consider it their first. In the quiet sanctuary of the MPC Townhouses that front the Enrique Zobel Field live husband and wife, Bobby and Marivic Lim. With sports facilities readily available to them, you can find this dynamic duo and their two sons taking walks around the jogging track, and making the most of the Club’s amenities pretty much any time of the day.
“It’s nice living in a townhouse [at MPC] because it serves its purpose very well,” Mrs. Marivic Diaz-Lim shares. “We really wanted Polo to be our backyard because of the pool and other sports facilities for our 16 and 11-year-olds to take advantage of.” As much as they do appreciate such set-up while raising their family, their proximity to the Club also allows them to stay active in serving a place they love so much by using their expertise in their respective fields, namely, Law and Culinary Arts.
“At Your Service” – Heartfelt Aspirations to Serve Throughout his studies and later on his career, the passion to serve has always been evident as one of Director Bobby Lim’s motivations. Graduating from the law school of the University of the Philippines, he furthered his knowledge in this field by pursuing a master’s degree in law at King’s College in London, United Kingdom. “I took up law because it’s a noble profession,” he recalled. “Law is an excellent training for the mind in terms of knowing what is relevant and irrelevant facts, discovering the truth, and maintaining fairness and justice.” Armed with his aspirations, Lim went on to practice corporate law , transportation law and public law in the country. His practice in these fields opened up a multitude of doors for him to branch out his experience in the private and public sector. During his stint as the legal assistant of Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma, he took part in writing history as they forged a new Constitution in the year 1986. “I was a witness to all of these giants debating in the halls of congress,” he shares. “That was a very exciting moment that I was just happy to be a part of.” Motivated to expand his career he landed a top position in the legal department of Philippine Airlines. He then became the country head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). With those experiences under his belt, it was no question that he would be a perfect fit for a stint in public service by becoming the Undersecretary of the Department of Transportation for Aviation. Corporate governance remains an important aspect of his practice where he is an independent director in various publicly listed companies. If you think all that is impressive, you better believe that this man also has a burning passion to share his learning by teaching and molding young minds in post-graduate studies at De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, and Lyceum of the Philippines. Driven by his passion for the law and corporate governance, it comes as second nature to Lim to contribute to the stewardship of the Manila Polo Club, a place he holds very close to his heart.
With his legal training and broad involvement in the corporate and public sector, Lim rightfully serves as the Club’s Corporate Secretary, and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He also leads the Townhouse Committee where he oversees the project management of infrastructure and facilities improvements, adherence to budget targets by the Club, and most importantly, he strives to foster a vibrant and harmonious community within the townhouse development.
Cooking up a Storm
On the other side of the coin, Mrs. Marivic Diaz-Lim’s love for cooking goes way back to her Sunday lunches at her mother’s ancestral home. “I was a kid when I would always watch my grandmother [Anita] cook for our family,” she shared in an interview last March. “I used to watch [my grandma] cook in her huge kitchen, and be really amazed with what she could serve up.” Inspired by the talent of the Lorenzana clan’s matriarch, the aspiring cook took off to New York, finished a degree in Culinary Arts, and eventually set up notable restaurants with friends, Tribeca in 1996 and then Ñ in 2000.
After settling down, building a family was a top priority for the Lims. However, the culinary genius’ burning desire to cook made it impossible for her to keep still. Diaz-Lim then decided to put up her own restaurant, with the help of her husband in 2006. “Apartment 1B was named after my one and only Bobby,” she laughs. Kidding aside, the Makati-based, gourmet comfort food-themed restaurant houses the Lim Family’s best kept family recipes. As they offer a wide variety of meat and pasta dishes, Apartment 1B remains to be a staple in the Philippine restaurant industry.
Director Bobby Lim
F&B Committee Member Marivic Lim
Diaz-Lim manifests her love and talent for food here at the Club as well. So far, she has dedicated six long years serving our F&B Department in many ways. In fact, her commitment allowed her to take part in the restructuring of the Club’s restaurant services throughout the course of the pandemic. “Because of COVID, the Members did not have access to hotels and restaurants at all,” she recalls. “We realized that the Club has a very prestigious real estate in terms of outdoor dining, so we wanted to make the most of that.” Diaz-Lim mentioned that the silver lining of the pandemic consisted of leveraging on the opportunities that this prime real estate offered, and how much the Members enjoyed al fresco dining.
Diaz-Lim and the rest of the F&B Committee worked hard to elevate the dining experience here at MPC to keep up with the standard of Makati-BGC restos and hotel fine dining. A few of the projects implemented were setting up the Grab ‘N Go section, onboarding Margarita Fores’ Cibo di Marghi Signature Caterer into our restaurant roster, and centralizing the menu among the existing concessionaires too. “Since the pandemic, the committee has changed the F&B environment in the Club. All coffee and other hot beverages are solely served by Jay’s Way and all wines and liquor are served by the Willow Root.” This created an environment of camaraderie, rather than one of unhealthy competition. Though plans in the pipeline remain to be strictly confidential, you can expect the F&B Committee to continue to find ways to heighten your dining experience here at The Manila Polo Club this year.
Better Together
Bobby and Marivic turned out to be the best combination a husband-and-wife duo could be despite their differences in career paths. When the two are not busy keeping their own occupations and hobbies in check, their shared love for home-cooked Filipino meals, watching movies and traveling has kept them together all these years. As experts in their fields, the couple continues to inspire young people to do whatever it takes to live out their dreams and find means to keep that passion alive even outside the work setting. “It’s not just about loving to do something or knowing how to do something, you need to be passionate in your craft,” Mrs. Lim surmised. No doubt that this is the same reason why they continue to find ways to keep their fire burning for the good of the Club.
We look forward to what their respective committees have in store for all of us, Members. In the meantime, do not hesitate to show your appreciation for all they do here at Manila Polo Club with a simple hello when you see them roaming the halls!
