‘But when the “Hello, Garci” scandal broke out, Dinky knew what to do.’
DINKY Soliman was the first one appointed then by PGMA to her Cabinet after the ouster of Joseph Estrada. The late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo described Dinky as “matino at mahusay” and one of the few public officials he learned to respect immensely.
But when the “Hello, Garci” scandal broke out, Dinky knew what to do. PGMA desperately tried to persuade her and the rest of the “Hyatt 10” from resigning over the massive electoral fraud involving the President. The group had met “secretly” with then Vice President Noli de Castro in Hong Kong to convince him to join them in seeking PGMA’s resignation.
PGMA lavished the group with a special and sumptuous dinner at Malacanang. They held hands together in a heartwarming show of devotion and loyalty. Two days later Dinky and the group resigned. De Castro had backed out from the “deal” and the PGMA administration stayed on.
In college, Dinky was best remembered as the tireless and selfless social worker of the UP Student Catholic Action. She actively participated and led in countless outreach programs for the poor and the sick and indigenous groups, providing them shelter and education.
Dinky practically lost her weekends in exchange for her cherished advocacies that she would vigorously pursue as DSWD secretary. Her husband, Hec, was also a hard-working member and dedicated officer of UPSCA.
Former Chief of the Presidential Management Staff Lenny de Jesus says she’s glad she is not with government during these trying times. On the contrary, her friends and former Cabinet officials point out that it is during this time that people like her should be working in government. De Jesus served under three Presidents — Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo. The undeniably incorruptible De Jesus knows that she would not last in the current administration now hounded by rampant corruption.
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From the healing Evangelist A.A. Allen: “Millions of people who are sick or afflicted could be enjoying perfect health! Perfect health is in God’s carefully laid plan for their lives. He purchased their healing – at great cost to Himself – and made it available for the asking.
Many of these suffering people are people who pray a great deal. Many have passed through healing lines in some of the greatest healing meetings, and yet they are not healed. They pray much, but receive little. According to James 1: 6,7, one must not only ask, but must ‘ask in faith, without wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord’. The person who prays for healing, adding the words, ‘If be Thy will,’ is openly confessing to the Lord that he is not at all sure he will receive healing. The ‘if’ in the petition denotes doubt, and this type of prayer cannot possibly be classified as asking ‘in faith, nothing wavering.’ There is only one way to take the “wavering” out of your asking – take the ‘if’ out of your petition. You must be convinced that is the will of God to heal you!
Until you are fully convinced of this, real, unwavering faith cannot exist.”
