MANILA, Philippines -- The co-founder of the country?s largest mobile phone firm died at the height of tropical storm ?Ondoy? when the perimeter wall of his home collapsed on him, company officials said.

In a text message to the Inquirer, Smart spokesperson Ramon Isberto confirmed that company pioneer David T. Fernando passed away last Saturday.

Details remained sketchy as of press time, but people familiar with the situation said that Fernando was killed when the wall of his property in Loyola Grand Villas in Quezon City fell on him.

?[The structure] may have been weakened by rains,? one company official said, requesting anonymity pending a formal announcement.

On Monday, the company circulated an internal memo saying that Fernando?s remains lie in state at the Christ the King Church in Green Meadows, Quezon City.

?Dave, as he was fondly called, served as chief technology officer and head of fixed network of Smart,? the memo read. ?He was instrumental in developing the technology roadmap and initial rollout of cellular, fixed and backbone networks of the company.?

It added that Fernando was ?regarded as a maverick in the telecoms pre-liberalization era; envisioning the state of the art and creative solutions for the telecoms industry.?

?He was an active member of the Philippine Electronics and Telecommunications Federation for 20 years, and accorded the Outstanding ECE Award,? the company said.