The Senate on Wednesday, August 23 adopted the resolution seeking to honor the life and advocacy of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) chief Susan “Toots” Ople who died on Tuesday, August 22 at 61 years old.

Senate Resolution No. 83 recognizes Ople’s legacy as a dedicated and lifelong advocate of the country’s labor sector and champion of the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers.

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, in his co-sponsorship speech on the resolution, said Ople was the rightful choice to head the DMW, which is also deemed historic as she is the first secretary of the department.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had appointed Ople as the first DMW secretary in 2022.

Ople was also the founder and leader of the Blas Ople Policy Center where she channeled her efforts to help distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) worldwide.

Ople left an “indelible mark” even during the short period of time she led the DMW “and her legacy will continue to shape the DMW in the years to come,” Zubiri said.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Ople will forever be revered for her fearless fight against human trafficking.

“(She) tirelessly championed for the welfare of laborers, made a career in protecting and promoting the rights of OFWs, and fearlessly fought against human trafficking,” Cayetano said.

Ople also deserves the credit for rekindling the friendship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) when the Philippines then banned the deployment of Filipino workers there, the senator said.

Sen. Imee Marcos also extended her condolences to the Ople family although “there may be no consolation for the grief of a family whose third sibling has died.”

“The lost of a competent and dedicated public servant like Secretary Ople, who served as the voice of Filipino workers abroad, is truly significant. Her dedication to the welfare of OFWs will be a lasting reminder of her commitment to public service,” Marcos said.

Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay also praised Ople for being a “great woman who wasn’t afraid to show her humanity in her efforts to serve our people.”

Binay said she is honored to have witnessed firsthand her dedication, sincerity, and compassion for migrant workers when they worked together during her father’s stint as head of the Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment and chairman emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking (IACAT).

“Sec. Toot’s name was synonymous to care and action,” she said.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said he is glad that Ople’s remarkable service wer also acknowledged across the globe.

In 2020, the United Nations Secretary-General named her as one of the five specialists for a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking.

In 2013, Ople received the Trafficking in Persons Hero award from then US Secretary of State John Kerry.

“I hope we can continue her legacy and great contribution to the DMW. Her memory will stand as a lasting testament to the power of one individual to transform the world,” she said.