BY GERARD NAVAL and RAYMOND AFRICA
THE Senate yesterday adopted a resolution honoring Susan “Toots” Ople for her dedication to upholding the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers while the Department of Health and workers’ groups joined the nation in mourning the sudden passing of the first secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
President Marcos Jr, together with First Lady Liza Araneta, led current and former government officials who visited the wake yesterday at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City, including Speaker Martin Romualdez, former President now-deputy speaker Gloria Arroyo, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Sen. Cynthia Villar, and husband former Senate President Manny Villar.
The senators, in Resolution No. 83, said Ople “left an indelible mark for the passion she has exemplified while promoting and protecting the lives of the labor sector, most especially our migrant workers.”
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Ople’s “untimely passing leaves an indelible void in the realm of public service.”
He noted Ople was instrumental in helping OFWs back home as well as their families, through the OFW Hospital. Prior to her death, Ople had also been engaged in exploratory talks on the hiring and deployment of nurses in other countries.
“Her unwavering dedication to the well-being and empowerment of migrant workers, especially our health care workers abroad, touched the lives of countless individuals and families, both within our borders and beyond,” said Herbosa.
Migrante International, a group composed of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), expressed condolences to Ople’s family and appreciation for her openness even to its criticisms.
“Recognizing that it is productive for the government to listen to grassroots organizations, families, and advocates of migrants, she engaged in dialogue on concrete measures to alleviate the plight of OFWs and migrant Filipinos,” Migrante said.
“While we have criticisms of her stint as DMW secretary and of the DMW, she did not close lines of communication with Migrante International,” it added.
Migrante also said whoever is chosen to succeed Ople at the DMW will “surely have big shoes to fill.”
Ople died Tuesday at the age of 61. Her death comes nearly a month after she went on “wellness leave” to take time off and to mourn the death of her two brothers last month.
Ople’s wake is at Chapel 1 of the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City, until Monday, August 28, Ople’s daughter Estelle said in a statement released by the DMW.
Estelle asked her mother’s friends and those whose lives the secretary touched, to share their stories via social media.
“She has saved many distressed OFWs and victims of illegal recruitment. She was an extraordinary human being with a huge heart. Hopefully, everyone will get to appreciate that about her,” she said.
The DMW said Ople’s family is also requesting those who are planning to send flowers to instead donate to the Blas F. Ople Policy Center which the secretary had founded.
“This way, Secretary Toots’ advocacy for migrant workers’ rights and welfare may continue and flourish,” said DMW.
Donations may be deposited to Metrobank account with account name: Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute Inc., and account number: 242-7-242514633.
The DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will hold a joint Night of Tributes and necrological service for Ople today.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said he is one with the Ople family “in praying for the eternal repose of the soul of Secretary Toots Ople.”
“She was a very dear friend and her passing saddens me deeply,” he added.
The Episcopal Commission on Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will offer Masses for Ople.
“Her heart is completely for them. Her whole life is for our country. She serves well, doing all sacrifices for best of our nation and utmost welfare of our people. We lost a hero,” said Bishop Ruperto Santos, CBCP-ECMI vice chairman.
“It is sad news, a very sad occasion, especially for our OFWs… Yet her legacy as that of her father, Blas, will live on,” said Santos.
‘UNPARALLELED SEAL’
Senators, in in Resolution No. 83 expressing “profound sympathy and sincere condolences” on Ople’s passing, said the OFW champion can best be remembered for her “unparalleled zeal in pushing for the protection of the rights of migrant workers,” which made her the first Filipino who formed part of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking.
They said that Ople’s life was a testament to the “enduring legacy” of being a person for others.
Sen. Nancy Binay hailed Ople’s “lifelong service to uphold the welfare of overseas Filipino workers.”
“I am honored to have witnessed firsthand her dedication, sincerity, and compassion for migrant workers when we worked together during my father’s stint as head of the Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment and chairman emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT),” she said. “Sec. Toots’ name was synonymous to care and action.”
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Ople, even before joining government, “fearlessly fought against labor exploitation and human trafficking. Her work transcended borders and made a profound impact on the lives of countless OFWs and their families.”
He also noted Ople’s roles in various official capacities for more than 16 years — as labor undersecretary, head of Presidential Speechwriting Group at the Office of the President, and chief of staff to her father, then-Foreign Affairs Secretary and Senator Blas F. Ople.
Cayetano also said because of her work ethic and compassion, Ople was conferred by the United States with the “Global Trafficking in Persons Hero Award for 2013” for her persistent and unyielding effort to curb human trafficking. A Senate Resolution also recognized her efforts against human trafficking.
“In Ople’s crucial role as the first-ever Migrant Workers Department Secretary, Cayetano said she was credited for rekindling the friendship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) when the Philippines then banned the deployment of Filipino workers there,” Cayetano said.
“Secretary Ople was a dedicated public servant who tirelessly championed for the welfare of laborers, made a career in protecting and promoting the rights of OFWs, and fearlessly fought against human trafficking,” he added. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
