Marikina mayor’s wife passes away

The wife of Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman passed away on Wednesday afternoon, the very first day of the New Year, in a Pasig hospital.

Paul Sison, Marikina’s public information officer, said that Amalia Gonzaga de Guzman died at 4:10 p.m. in The Medical City. She was 46 years old.

The official cause of death has yet to be released by the hospital but Willie Reyes, head executive assistant to the mayor, said the mayor’s wife had previously been confined for lymphoma.

Her remains lie at the Premier Chapel A of Loyola Memorial Chapels and Crematorium in Marikina City.

Sison said burial details would be announced later.

The mayor, whom Sison described as a very private person when it comes to his family, has yet to release a statement on his wife’s death.

The wake is open to the public though, with the Marikina Public Information Office announcing the venue on its Twitter account.

Later in the day, Sison announced the postponement of the mayor’s State of the City Address, originally scheduled on Jan. 7, to the last week of the month.

According to Sison, Amalia was in charge of managing the family’s furniture business.

She did not meddle in her husband’s political affairs and was rarely seen at city hall as she was a very private person, he added.

Lorico Acejo, a retired Marikina City prosecutor who met her twice, described Amalia as a “simple” woman.

“She would wear an ordinary dress with just a few pieces of jewelry,” Acejo, who was a city prosecutor at the time Del de Guzman was vice mayor of the city, said.

He added  that during his stint as a city official, he never heard any negative comment about Amalia whom he described as a “shy” person.

“She is not involved in politics. She would smile and greet us, but she did not initiate conversations,” he said.

Amalia is survived by her husband; their children Delan Andro, Dean Anvielo, Allysia Danella and David Alfre; her mother Cresencia Gonzaga and her brother Carlo Gonzaga.