After NCCC Mall VP closed, Lafayette Lim led with compassion and accountability on NewsLine Philippines - Building Information Highway for the Community
DAVAO CITY (January 18)— The doors of NCCC Mall Victoria Plaza are now shut, its once busy halls quiet. Yet for Lafayette Alvarez Lim, closure did not mark the end of responsibility. When the lights went out, what remained was accountability to the people who had given life to the mall for decades.
In an interview with Newsline Philippines days after the mall officially closed on December 31, 2025, Lim shared that even amid loss, the company chose empathy over expediency.
“In terms of our own business units, we informed our employees to apply for available positions in our other branches,” Lim said. “However, there are realities we had to face. The number of affected employees was significant, while the available positions across our other malls were limited.”
There were no sweeping promises, no dramatic announcements—only a sincere effort to open doors where possible, and to be honest where it was not. Some employees were gradually absorbed into other NCCC branches, depending on operational needs and vacancies. Others, despite their years of service, could not be accommodated—not because they were undeserving, but because opportunities simply did not exist in sufficient number.
“It was never about choosing who mattered,” a company insider shared. “It was about working within constraints while treating everyone with respect.”
The company made clear that those who could not be rehired were not forgotten. What mattered most, Lim emphasized, was transparency, ensuring employees understood the situation, were treated fairly, and were acknowledged for their contribution to the company’s history.
A Mall That Became a Responsibility
The Lim family has never viewed the acquisition of Victoria Plaza in 2019 as a mere business transaction. For them, it was an act of stewardship.
“We consider it a blessing,” Lim said. “We were able to keep it a Davao City establishment, something local, something we hoped to carry into the future.”
Renamed NCCC Mall VP, the mall became a bridge between generations of Dabawenyos. Then the pandemic arrived, dismantling long-term plans and erasing the safety nets businesses relied on.
“We really tried our best, even when the pandemic took away our best options,” Lim said. “It is truly a sad situation for us. The pain will probably linger until the last building is demolished.”
The statement carried no resentment, only quiet grief, the kind that comes from exhausting every possible alternative.
Memories Beyond Foot Traffic
When Victoria Plaza first opened in 1993, Lim was still a student in Metro Manila. His memories of the mall were not shaped by leisure or nostalgia, but by responsibility.
It was one of their properties.
One of their commitments.
One of their dreams.
Perhaps that distance allowed him to see Victoria Plaza not just as a structure, but as an institution—one that employed thousands, served families, and mirrored Davao City’s own growth.
Legacy Is Measured by People, Not Buildings
As demolition draws near and redevelopment plans remain undefined, what endures is not the concrete or steel, but the values demonstrated in the aftermath.
By continuing to prioritize employee welfare even after operations ceased despite limitations, Lim underscored a truth often absent from corporate narratives: A company’s legacy is not measured by how it opens, but by how it closes.
NCCC Mall VP may soon disappear from the skyline, but its spirit of responsibility, honesty, and humanity continues to move across the city, carried by the people who once worked within its walls.
The shops are closed. But the heart remains open.-Editha Z Caduaya
The post After NCCC Mall VP closed, Lafayette Lim led with compassion and accountability appeared first on NewsLine Philippines.
After NCCC Mall VP closed, Lafayette Lim led with compassion and accountability
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