The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) gave sweet tribute Thursday, Feb.25 to the late Fe Aguillon-Cimatu, calling her the "woman behind the decorated general".
That decorated general is of course DENR Sec. Roy A. Cimatu, a former chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
A statement released by the agency early Thursday evening described in detail just how supportive and strong "Ma'am Fe" was, especially for her beloved Roy.
"Hands-on as she was known, Ma’am Fe even took charge of their wedding. She was her own wedding planner. The then-general groom-to-be was still in Marawi for a military operation, four days before their wedding. Ma’am Fe assured him that everything was in place and said 'Ikaw na lang ang kulang (You're the only one that's missing)," it read.
The agency said Ma'am Fe would make it a point to visit then-Gen. Roy during his combat
operations so she may still perform her role as wife.
"There were times when the husband rushed back to the barracks to see the wife he sorely missed. He would find her in the nearest public market, picking up the freshest vegetables for their evening meal, over which they shared stories," it said.
"The reserved housewife, who did not often go out of their house, devoted most of her time to her better half. She opted to stay at home, to make sure that the house was cleaned up, to read books, and to take care of the plants in their mini garden," the statement further read.
Ma'am Fe, who is also a businesswoman, did all these domestic chores by herself as she refused house help.
After Roy's time in the military, his spouse embraced the role of "cheerleader" as he took on several high posts in government.
"There were two times when Ma'am Fe joined her husband during his out-of-the-country assignments. First was in Libya, when he was appointed as special envoy for a delicate assignment; she personally attended to his needs. The other was when he was posted in Poland for another special assignment. On both occasions, Ma’am Fe insisted on joining him, knowing fully well the danger he was facing," the DENR said.
Ma'am Fe, a native of San Jose, Antique, passed away on Saturday, Feb.20. The couple had one son.