LUCENA CITY – Lucena Vice Mayor Philip Castillo, 67, died Saturday at a hospital in Metro Manila.
The report on his demise was posted on his official Facebook page around 7:30 a.m.
“It is with heavy heart and great sadness that our beloved Vice Mayor Philip Castillo passed away today at 3:13 a.m. at Saint Luke’s Medical Center,” the post said.
The report did not provide details on the cause of his death.
Lucena Mayor Roderick Alcala expressed his deepest condolences to the Castillo family.
“I’m very sad. He was a dear friend of the family. It’s quite unfortunate that we have differences in politics,” Alcala said in a phone interview.
Castillo, a long-time city councilor, was elected vice mayor in 2019.
He was running for mayor against Alcala’s son, Mark, in the coming May local election under PDP-Laban.