By Bryle B. Suralta
Environmentalist, philanthropist and social responsibility advocate Gina Lopez passed away last Aug. 19, Monday, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. She was 65.
In 2005, Gina was named as one of PeopleAsia‘s “People of the Year” awardees, having then led the efforts in rescuing around 20,000 children from physical and sexual abuse, leading the conservation efforts of the La Mesa Dam, and revolutionizing television with educational TV Programs such as Sinseskwela, Math-tinik and Hiraya Manawari, among others. “I get a kick out of helping people,” she would share in the December 2005-January 2006 issue of PeopleAsia.
During the interview, she shared how her life as an advocate started while she was a student at the Assumption Convent, where she started participating in charity projects. Even then, she gained the full support of her parents, the late Eugenio Lopez Jr. and Conchita Lopez. “They were very loving. There was a strong feeling of family,” she said. Gina also added that her late father taught her the “value of integrity and the importance of vision.”
Later on, Gina would join a religious organization and stay in Africa for 20 years, where she would come face-to-face with the challenges of poverty. It helped open her eyes to the ills that plague society, thus reinforcing her drive for being an advocate of change. “I wouldn’t have been exposed to that if I stayed in Forbes Park all my life,” she said, adding that those years made her extra-sensitive to the plight of the poor.
Back then, she considered the Children’s Village in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which then provided shelter to around 140 abused children, as her greatest achievement for Bantay Bata. She once told President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, “Just watch me, I will transform this into a paradise for children.”
Through her projects, Gina dreamt of turning the apathy in others into passion. “It’s a consciousness thing. There are different levels of being and one continues to evolve. The people who are apathetic will not be that way forever. Life is a constant state of evolution. The universe will always see to it that everyone grows.” she said.
Gina was also one of PeopleAsia‘s former Women of Style and Substance awardees in 2009 for practicing corporate social responsibility and sustained social responsibility.By then, she had already established Bantay Kalikasan and Bantay Bata Foundation, which have powered trailblazing projects for the underprivileged. “Education, nutrition, environment, money — these are simple, important things that make life complete. The economic numbers alone don’t translate into the nation’s progress. “During her interview with PeopleAsia, when asked if she would like to eventually venture into politics, Gina said: “Why should I when I am already able to help so many people where I am right now?”
She had also served as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary under President Duterte’s administration, where she led a crackdown of the country’s mining industry by ordering 23 mines to stop operations and others suspended in her 10-month stint. She also moved to put a stop to 18 of the Philippines’ 41 mining companies and axed 75 mining contracts that she said would threaten watersheds.
In a press statement released by ABS-CBN Corp., it says: “With Gina’s passing, we lost a fervent advocate of children’s rights and protection, a passionate proponent of sustainable livelihood among the underprivileged, and an unswerving champion for environment preservation.”
Beloved by many, Gina is also remembered for advocacies such as the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and various programs under the ABS-CBN Foundation. She also pushed for numerous campaigns and projects, including “Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig,” “No To Mining in Palawan,” the reforestation of the La Mesa Watershed and the TV program G Diaries, a show that highlights how Philippine tourists sites adapt eco-friendly approaches.
Until the end, she lived for her fellow Filipinos. And that’s what the country will miss the most about her—her unwavering passion, her selflessness and her unparalleled commitment to make the world a better place.
A memorial service for the public will be held on August 22 to 23 at the Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
