President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. turned emotional as he paid his final respects to Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople, saying she is "irreplaceable."

"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," Marcos said as he delivered a message in a necrological service for Ople in Malacañang.

Marcos started his speech, asking for understanding for his emotional state as he told the Oples and guests in attendance, including Vice President Sara Duterte, and Cabinet members, that he and the entire country suffered a great loss with Ople's passing.

"And if I do shed a tear, it is because it is such a sad day to know – it is such a sad – a bit of knowledge to know that Toots will not be here anymore and what a big gap she will leave not only to our friends, not only to our family but to the millions of those who she took care of, who she loved, and who she worked for tirelessly and endlessly, and I speak endlessly because that is exactly what happened," he said.

The President said up until the end, the late Secretary did not stop working because for her, "it was not work."

He said despite knowing Ople's condition, he was asking for a miracle. "If anyone deserve the miracle, it was Toots for all the good that she did," he said.

When the miracle did not happen, Marcos said he told himself, Ople was, after all, a miracle herself and for that, no one could ever replace her.

"Ang milagro nabuhay siya at naging kaibigan natin at nagawa niya yung kanyang – yung pinakamahalaga na maaari niyang gawin para sa sarili niya, para sa kanyang kapwa. At hindi siguro natin makikita ulit ‘yan (The miracle was she lived and she became our friend and she was able to serve for her fellowmen. And we might not be able to see that again)," Marcos said.

"And I know that this all came from her heart, this all came from the compassion and the passion that she brought to her work. And this, as I said, is a rare quality, a rare combination," Marcos added.

She is irreplaceable

Ople will not be easily replaced, the Chief Executive said, adding that the thought keeps him awake at night.

"Ngunit habang iniisip ko hindi na ako natutulog, iniisip ko anong kapalit? Wala na, hindi na mapapalitan si Toots (Thinking about it, I cannot sleep, I was thinking who would replace her. No one, we could never replace her)," Marcos said.

"Maghanap tayo ng kasing galing niya pero huwag na tayong umasa na mapalitan si Toots, na mag-substitute na magkakaroon ulit tayo ng Toots na ilalagay ulit natin, bibigyan natin ulit ng pagkakataon na magtrabaho (We will look for someone as good as her but let us not hope that we can replace her, a substitute who can be like Toots)," Marcos added.

As a friend and as a colleague, the President said he can confidently say that Ople set a "very high standard" in public service.

"I feel sorry for us, her friends, her family because we’ve lost a wonderful person, a wonderful friend. I feel sorry for the Filipinos who are living and working abroad because they have lost the best champion that they ever had, they ever had in the history of overseas workers for Filipinos," he said.

The President also said that Ople " occupied such an important part of my life as a friend and as a colleague."

"I hope I never let her down when she was alive. I fully do not intend to let her down now that she is gone. I will always remember her [with] great fondness and affection, and great respect," Marcos said.

"Toots, I don’t know how many years God will give me in this life. But for the rest of that life, I can confidently say Toots will always be one of the best people I have ever known. Thank you," he concluded.

Before his eulogy, Marcos also paid tribute to Ople during his National Heroes Day speech saying, Ople is the true example of heroism.

"We must mention a dear departed friend, who we can describe as a hero and that is our friend who we just lost Secretary Toots Ople. She is a true example of a true heroism can be. She tirelessly dedicated the better part of her life to promote the welfare of our modern-day heroes," he stated.

The remains of the late Secretary will be opened for public viewing on Monday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. before it is transferred to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Building at 5:30 p.m.