BINAY MOURNS PASSING OF MIGRANT WORKERS CHIEF OPLE

Senator Nancy Binay mourned the passing on Tuesday of Susan "Toots" Ople, the secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers.

"Sec. Toots was a great woman who wasn't afraid to show her humanity in her efforts to serve our people. Isa siyang dakilang Pilipino at lingkod-bayan, at marami kaming nagluluksa sa kaniyang pagkawala," Binay said.

The DMW had confirmed that Ople died at around 1 p.m. on August 22 "surrounded by her family and loved ones." The agency added that they would release more details soon.

Binay hailed the migrant workers chief'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) ," the lawmaker said.

"Sec. Toots' name was synonymous to care and action. Kapag narinig mong involved si Sec. Toots, makakaasa ka na uusad ang mga bagay dahil walang pagod niyang pagtutuunan ng pansin ang isyu," Binay added.

Ople was appointed in 2022 to lead the newly-created DMW, which carries the mandate of seven merged agencies that cater to overseas Filipino workers.

She also founded and led the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute (Ople Center), a non-profit organization that caters to labor and migration concerns.