Former QC Mayor Mel Mathay dies at 81

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Former Quezon City mayor and Congressman Ismael “Mel” Mathay Jr passed away on Christmas day, December 25, at the age of 81.*

His family brought him to The Medical City hospital in Pasig City after a “sudden” cardiac arrest, reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition when the heart suddenly stops. It can lead to death within minutes.

Just remarried in February 2013 to Vilma Valera, with whom he was known to have had a long-running relationship, Mathay was born on June 26,1932. He was elected vice mayor of Quezon City in 1967 or 10 years after he passed the bar examination in 1957.

He later became representative of Quezon City’s 4th district from 1988-1992, after which he became city mayor for 3 terms from 1992 to 2001. He ran as independent candidate during the Quezon City mayoral race in the 2010 elections, but lost to Mayor Herbert Bautista. 

He also served as vice governor of the Marcos government’s Metro Manila Commission, the forerunner of what is now the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). 

The Commission’s governor, then-First Lady Imelda Marcos, was close to Mathay’s first wife, Sonya. She passed away in November 2012.

Mathay’s wake will be held in the same place where he was wed again earlier this year. According to the ABS-CBN News Channel, his remains will be brought to the Christ the King Parish on Greenmeadows Avenue in White Plains, Quezon City. – Rappler.com

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said Mathay passed away at the age of 80. He turned 81 on June 26 this year.