BY GERARD NAVAL and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
MIGRANT Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, a long-time advocate of Filipinos working abroad, passed away yesterday at the age of 61.
Her passing came nearly a month after she went on “wellness leave” following the deaths of her two brothers last month.
President Marcos Jr. and other government officials mourned her passing as they described her dedication to public service. Expressions of sympathy poured in from various sectors.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) did not state the cause of death but Ople had disclosed she had undergone surgery for breast cancer in 2020.
“It is with great sadness that the Department of Migrant Workers announces the passing of our dearest Secretary Susan ‘Toots’ Ople,” said DMW.
“Secretary Toots peacefully joined our Creator at around 1 pm today, August 22, 2023, surrounded by her family and loved ones,” it added.
Ople had founded the Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Center in 2005, a non-government organization that assists distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The President said the country suffered a great loss and described Ople’s demise as “very, very sad news.”
Ople was one of Marcos’ first appointees to the Cabinet.
The President said he lost a “dear and valued friend” and the Philippines also lost a friend.
He described Ople as a special person who has a deep compassion for the people she cared for — the migrant workers — and a champion for the labor force in the country.
“She was very much following the tradition of Ka Blas Ople, of excellence, of compassion, it is a great loss for all of us, it is a great loss for all of us over my friend. It is a great loss to the Philippines for the service we know she could have still rendered,” he said referring to Ople’s late father, Blas F. Ople, a journalist who served as labor minister to the current president’s father, and as Senate president, among others.
Marcos Jr, in a post in his official X account (formerly Twitter), said Ople dedicated every waking moment of her life to promoting the welfare of laborers in general and migrant workers in particular.
‘TIRELESS’
Marcos said Ople has also accomplished a lot of things in her years of public service.
“She was tireless in her pursuit to always support and find protection for our workers.
There cannot be a better example of the perfect mix of compassion and hard-nosed pragmatism than in Toots,” he added.
The Presidential Communications Office said Ople is a dedicated public servant who tirelessly fought for the rights of the overseas Filipino workers.
Ople was the first secretary of the DMW. She had been reluctant to accept the post because of health concerns. She was among the initial batch of Cabinet officials nominated by Marcos after he won as president in May last year. Her appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Appointment in November.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said he saw Ople as his younger sister. He said their relationship went way back when the latter was still a young girl working for her father, Blas, at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Laguesma said he last saw Ople during the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos Jr. on July 24.
“At that time, I felt like Sec Toots has an ailment. I told her I am praying for her and her health because we all know how hard she works,” he said.
“Even before coming to DMW, she has an organization with an advocacy to help OFWs. I can remember how she is always on the lookout on how she can help OFWs,” said Laguesma.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the appointment of his “friend” as the very first DMW secretary “was a huge blessing to the nation.”
“Her reputation of unblemished integrity, impassioned service for the country, and genuine affection for our fellow Filipinos, especially the underprivileged and vulnerable members of the migrant sector, was beyond reproach,” he also said.
He said the public saw how Ople used “her energy and intellect to tirelessly protect and advance the interests of our modern heroes, the overseas Filipino workers.”
“Secretary Ople’s demise leaves a profound sense of loss and a huge vacuum in public service that is tough to fill. In honor of her service that was marked by genuine passion and total dedication, the DND vows to continue assisting the DMW vigorously, not only in repatriation efforts, but in all other ways we can be of service, when the need arises,” he also said.
‘PROTECTOR’
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Ople’s passing left an “irreplaceable void” as she showed the people the true meaning of leadership, dedication, and compassion while serving as DMW secretary.
“In her honor, we will continue the great gains she has made to protect and uplift our migrant workers and all our laborers. We send our love and prayers to the Ople family in this difficult time,” he said.
Senate President pro tempore Loren Legarda said Ople was instrumental in continuing her late father’s legacy in upholding the rights of overseas workers, “serving as the beacon of hope and protector of our countrymen working abroad.”
“We are thankful for her contributions to society and the Filipino people,” Legarda said.
Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva said Ople was a “dynamic leader” who made “momentous achievements” in the DMW.
“Today is a sad day not only for her family, friends, and the people of Bulacan, but for the entire nation who share her dream of providing better job opportunities for Filipinos overseas. To my kababayan and dear friend, Secretary Toots, you will be deeply missed,” Villanueva said.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said Ople’s untimely death “is a great loss to our nation.”
Sen. Francis Escudero said Ople’s passing is a loss to the OFWs “whose welfare she has been championing even before she was appointed” as DMW secretary.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said Ople “devoted her life to aiding our OFWs and played a crucial role in bringing attention to government issues such as the “laglag bala scheme,” the opening of balikbayan boxes, and extortion schemes at NAIA.”
“Additionally, Toots assisted in securing the release of a Filipino seafarer who was held captive by Somalian pirates for three years, as well as two others who were held hostage in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he added.
GREAT CHAMPION
At the House, lawmakers joined the nation in mourning Ople’s passing, saying migrant workers “have lost a great champion.”
“Migrant workers, and workers in general, have just lost a great and tireless champion in Secretary Ople. She was the first secretary of the department Congress had created to focus on attending to the welfare of millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs),” said Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Speaker said Ople was a consistent advocate of protecting workers’ rights, earning accolades not only from local labor groups but from international organizations as well.
“She took up such advocacy from her father, the late Senate President Blas F. Ople, who was labor minister of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Father and daughter served under two Marcoses,” he said.
OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino said Ople brings with her the legacy of decades of struggle for OFW rights, true empathy for modern heroes and strong leadership in the DMW.
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Yamsuan said Ople’s “integrity, strength of character and unwavering dedication to public service served as an inspiration to us all.”
“When Toots said that the DMW ‘is every OFW’s home in the government,’ no one doubted her words. She pooled all the knowledge and experience she gained as the former chief of staff of her father, senator and labor secretary Blas Ople; as erstwhile undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, and as president of the Ople Policy Center to ensure that the DMW truly serves the best interests of Filipino migrant workers and their families,” he said. — With Raymond Africa, Wendell Vigilia and Victor Reyes
