Romulo “Muloy” Festin, a famous Mindoreño who gained national attention in 2019 for challenging then-President Rodrigo Duterte to take a stronger stance against China, died Friday at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. He was 75.

Festin’s daughter, former board member Michelle Festin-Rivera, announced his death, which occurred at 12:43 p.m. He had been hospitalized since Feb. 16, 2025.

The former San Jose, Occidental Mindoro mayor became a controversial figure on June 9, 2019, when he criticized Duterte’s response to a maritime incident involving Chinese and Filipino fishermen.

In a television interview, Festin said Duterte should show “muscle” against China after a Chinese fishing vessel rammed and sank the Filipino boat F/B Gem-Ver 1 near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

The incident left 22 Filipino fishermen — all residents of San Jose — stranded in the water after the Chinese vessel fled the scene.

The fishermen were later rescued by a Vietnamese boat, averting potential fatalities in the disputed waters.

Festin’s political career spanned more than three decades.

He entered politics in 1988 as a board member for Occidental Mindoro province, served as San Jose vice mayor in 1998, and was elected mayor in 2004. He served two separate terms as mayor from 2004-2010 and 2013-2022.

Despite filing candidacy papers for another mayoral run in the May 12 election, Festin was unable to campaign due to his hospitalization.

His body is currently at Loyola Chapels and Crematorium on EDSA in Guadalupe, Makati City, before being transported to San Jose, where he will receive funeral honors.

The West Philippine Sea, which includes areas of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines, remains a source of tension between China and the Philippines.

The 2019 ramming incident was among several maritime confrontations that have strained relations between the two countries.