QUEZON CITY (PIA) - San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora declared a week-long city-wide mourning following the sudden death of Vice Mayor Jose Warren Villa on Sunday, June 18.

According to the Executive Order, the mourning period started from June 19 and will end on June 25, 2023. All official city events and celebrations that will fall on these dates are suspended. Consistently, all Philippine flags within San Juan City are at a half-mast.

Earlier, Mayor Zamora announced in a social media post the death of Vice Mayor Villa, saying that the latter died with his wife, Inah Manalang-Villa and son Habakkuk by his side.

According to the City Public Information Office of the city, Villa died of natural causes.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you that a highly respected and much-loved member of the San Juan City Government, Vice Mayor Warren Villa, has passed away this evening, with his wife Inah and son Hab by his side,” Zamora said.

He also said that Villa was a dear friend to him and asks the public to include him and his family in their prayers.

Villa served as the Vice Mayor of San Juan after winning in the May 2022 national elections. He run under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan party list, garnering 55,920 votes or 77% of the total number of votes. 

According to Section 44 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines, in cases of death, the position of the Vice Mayor shall be filled by the highest ranking Sanggunian member.

The highest ranking Sanggunian member is determined through the proportion of votes each winning candidate obtained to the total number of registered voters in each district based on the previous local election. (PIA-NCR)