Mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna of Bocaue, Bulacan has passed away on Thursday afternoon, May 28.
Her death was announced by the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church, of which she also served as the Executive Director, on Facebook where they mourned for the loss of “an exemplary leader, a pioneer, a trailblazer, and woman of vision and action.”
“As mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan, she was also a pioneer and trailblazer: innovative in her methods and humane in her actions,” the post read. “In fact, even as she was sick, she was working and serving and caring for her constituents—involved even in the packing and distribution of relief goods until her body stopped her to do so.”
According to the post, she died of “sepsis secondary to bacterial pneumonia.”
The mayor’s brother, Senator Joel Villanueva, took to Twitter to express his grief.
“Today Bocaue lost its finest public servant. Mayor Joni was relentlessly serving Bocaueños during this lockdown despite her medical condition, which eventually caused her life.
She’s more than a public servant to me, she’s my role model.
Will terribly miss her #gonetoosoon,” he wrote.
Today Bocaue lost its finest public servant. Mayor Joni was relentlessly serving Bocaueños during this lockdown despite her medical condition, which eventually caused her life. She’s more than a public servant to me, she’s my role model. Will terribly miss her ? #gonetoosoon
— Joel Villanueva (@senatorjoelv) May 28, 2020
Mayor Villanueva-Tugna is the daughter of JIL Church’s founder and Cibac party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva. She is survived by her husband, former Cibac party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna, and their four children.
May she rest in peace.
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! We also share our stories on Viber, join us!
