Rep. Raul del Mar
CEBU CITY, Philippines –Rep. Raul del Mar of Cebu City’s north district died Monday night, November 16, 2020, while admitted to a hospital in Manila.
The Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) has expressed sadness on the death of the Cebuano congressman who is a known “Kampeyon sa Medya” for his legislative works on media concerns.
“The Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) mourns the death of Raul V. Del Mar, congressman of Cebu City’s north district for nine terms, just two years short of a total of 29 years in public service,” the CCPC statement reads.
As of this writing, members of the del Mar family are yet to issue an official statement on his death, but messages expressing their sympathies on the congressman’s passing have been circulated on social media this Tuesday morning.
The CCPC statement said that del Mar died Monday night while admitted to a hospital in Manila where “he had been attending virtual sessions of the House.”
“He (del Mar) would have turned 80 on March 29.”
Del Mar was the principal author of Republic Act No. 11122 of 2018 which declares September 21 of each year as a working holiday in the cities and province of Cebu in celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom Day.
“As son of a journalist and manager of a local newspaper for a number of years, he had the media workers’ welfare at heart, helping the collective effort of media and citizens to have a free but responsible press in Cebu and improve the craft of journalism,” the CCPC statement reads.
Del Mar has been Cebu City north district representative in congress for nine terms since 1987 under the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).
He left behind his wife Melanie and his children Raoul, Rachel, and Ryan Benjamin. / dcb