‘I will always remember
her whenever I see sunflowers facing the sun, certain that Sec. Dinky is finally resting among her field of beloved sunflowers in the afterlife.’
RECEIVE an email from Dinky Soliman for the first time and you’ll find yourself drawn to her sign off, which reads: “sunflower wishes.” She loved sunflowers not just because they were pretty, but more for what sunflowers do: they always look up to catch the sun, no matter how dark and dreary the weather. They symbolize happiness, joy, cheerfulness, and new hope, all qualities that people who have worked with or met Sec. Dinky associate with her personality.
In a commencement speech she delivered before the class of 2014 of Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro, Dinky narrated the story behind her affinity with sunflowers: “It was 1973 when I came here for the first time to start community organizing in Bukidnon. I was young like you and did not know anybody except for a Jesuit named Fr. Junie Jesena of the Social Action Center who raised funds for the drought victims in Bukidnon, so you can only imagine the uncertainties that I felt in my coming here.”
She went on to explain: “At that time, to go to Bukidnon, one would have to pass three canyons. These were all covered with wild sunflowers. I was so captivated by that scenery that I took it as God’s reassurance that I was in the right path. It was as if He was telling me that in taking up His cross to help Him empower and facilitate processes so that the people will realize and use the power they have; God was affirming my commitment to serve His people. To this day, I still look at sunflowers as such. They take me back to that day in 1973 and the commitment to service and empowerment processes I had made to fight for justice; to stand for truth and freedom; to love and reach out to the God in people.”
A discussion on Twitter after Sec. Dinky’s passing caught my eye: comedian and host John “Sweet” Lapus expressed his sadness at her passing and said that people always felt her presence back then. Lapus asked his followers if they can name the current DSWD Secretary, and most responses were in the negative. Not to denigrate the incumbent DSWD Secretary, of course, but it’s hard to keep up with the dynamo that was Sec. Dinky. She was everywhere back then–typhoons, earthquakes, man-made calamities, etc. Apart from her colorful hair, she was always on the ground with her ever-present DSWD red vest, ensuring the delivery of relief efforts to those who needed it most.
Was she perfect? I think Sec. Dinky would’ve been the first to laugh at answering this question in the affirmative. What was unique about her is that despite the burden of office that she carried twice in her career (first under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, second under Benigno S. Aquino III) she always exuded the optimism and hope that is characteristic of sunflowers. She rarely buckled under pressure and shepherded the younger public servants she met along the way to give their best to the Filipino. She was always generous with her time, never mind that she has a million and one things to do.
I remember seeing her at the National Resource Operations Center of the DSWD one time, where volunteers usually go to help repack relief goods. I can’t remember which typhoon this was, only that it was already late and a handful of volunteers were still at NROC. I was surprised to see Sec. Dinky among us, with a trusty walis tambo in hand, sweeping the floor where the rice repacking table was. I went to her and volunteered to take over, which she waved away politely. Other volunteers saw her and suffice to say that everyone started moving a little faster (and perhaps, out of embarrassment) that the DSWD Secretary herself was among them, lending her own muscle to get the work done.
That was Sec. Dinky–she was not one cabinet secretary to sit in her airconditioned office while work needed to be done. She was down with everyone in the trenches and was equally adept at presenting and defending the DSWD’s work to the President or to the media. It was not just about policy with her–she knew the stories of the families being helped by these programs, whether it be the 4Ps nanays or the Kalahi-CIDSS beneficiaries.
She understood that her job was to be their champion, whether in the Aguinaldo State Dining Room where the cabinet frequently met, or in the calamity-stricken areas. She did all of this with little regard for her personal convenience; she once rushed off to Zamboanga during the siege of 2013 without enough supply of her diabetes medication, not knowing that she would be staying for a prolonged period of time. Thankfully, her medication was sent to piggyback on the next trip.
She has left her mark indelibly on those who worked with her across administrations, and even post-term when she continued her work in the grassroots communities here and abroad. I will always remember her whenever I see sunflowers facing the sun, certain that Sec. Dinky is finally resting among her field of beloved sunflowers in the afterlife.
