MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday mourned the loss of Migrant Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, tearing up as he delivered his eulogy for her.
“We are told when you are an official, that you cannot show emotion, that you must be stoic, and you must keep yourself, to yourself,” he began his message to Ople’s family at Malacañang.
“I hope you understand that if my tears fall, it is such a huge loss for us, a huge loss for me, for all of you, and for the Philippines,” he said.
“If I do shed a tear, it is because it is such a sad day to know, it is a sad bit of knowledge to know Toots will not be here today, and what a big gap she will leave,” he emphasized.
In a rare display of vulnerability, Marcos tearfully recounted how he had hoped for a miracle during Ople’s battle against breast cancer.
“Of course, our Lord Father could take her home, but we were praying for a miracle. We hoped that something would happen because if anyone deserved a miracle, it was Toots for all the good that she did,” he said.
Upon hearing that Ople died, Marcos said he figured the miracle was not granted.
However, he later would reconsider this thought.
“During the following days, I thought, ‘No, I was wrong. There was a miracle.’ The miracle was Toots,” said Marcos.
Marcos then said that while his administration will look for someone as capable as her to fill her role as Department of Migrant Workers secretary, Ople is irreplaceable, hinting no one could match her contributions as DMW chief.
“Toots cannot be replaced. We will look for someone as great as her, but let us not get our hopes up anymore that she can be replaced,” he said.
Marcos said that he met Ople while he was running for senator.
He and Ople developed both personal friendships and professional relationships.
As Migrant secretary, Marcos recounted how Ople would take the initiative to go to areas of conflict where there were Overseas Filipino Workers, even before the President instructed her.
On Aug. 22, Ople died.
She was 61 years old. (Jean Mangaluz © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
