Walang makapapalit kay dating Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople.
Sinabi ito ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. nang tinuran ito sa kanyang mensahe sa necrological service para kay Ople na ginanap sa Kalayaan Hall sa Malacañang kahapon.
“Iniisip kaagad namin, papano ngayon ‘yung naiwang trabaho ni Toots, sino ang gagawa niyan? Noong una sasabihin kailangan natin siyang palitan, kailangan nating maglagay ng kapalit ngunit habang iniisip ko, hindi na ko natutulog, anong kapalit… wala, hindi na mapapalitan si Toots,” ani Marcos Jr.
“Maghanap tayo ng kasing-galing niya pero huwag na tayong umasa na mapalitan si Toots… na substitute na magkakaroon ulit tayo ng Toots na ilalagay ulit natin, bibigyan ulit natin ng pagkakataong magtrabaho, bibigyan ulit natin ng pagkakataon na makatulong sa kaniyang kapwa Pilipino,” dagdag niya.
Naging emosyonal si Marcos Jr.nang sabihin na napakalungkot ang katotohanan na hindi na nila makakapiling pa si Toots at napakalaking puwang ang kanyang iniwan.
“If I do shed a tear, it is because it is such a sad day to know, it is such a sad bit of knowledge to know that Toots will not be here anymore,” anang Pangulo.
“What a big gap she will leave, not only to her friends, not only to her family, but to the millions who she took care of, who she loved, and who she worked for tirelessly and endlessly,” giit niya.
Ikinuwento niya na matagal na niyang kilala si Toots at may mahalagang papel ito sa kanyang buhay bilang kaibigan at kasama sa trabaho bilang public servant.
“You will understand my emotion, you will understand the great sense of loss that we are feeling and if I shed a tear, it’s because I feel sorry, I do not feel sorry for Toots because after her heart beats its last, her soul went immediately to heaven. And for that I have no doubt,” sabi ni Marcos Jr.
“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 lost the best champion they ever had,” aniya.
Hinikayat niya ang publiko na ipagpatuloy ang adbokasiya ni Toots na maglingkod sa bayan.
“We must honor her memory, we must honor the work that she did before,” sabi niya.
Bilang tugon, nagpasalamat sa Pangulo ang anak ni Toots na si Estelle Osorio, sa pagbibigay ng oportunidad sa kanyang ina na magsilbi sa bansa.
“On behalf of the Ople family, Mr. President, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts because you allow my mom to live her mission, by trusting her with a position despite her illness,” ani Osorio.
“She told us po na she wanted to serve you at least until December, she said that if she’s given that time by the Lord, she feels that it would be enough to set the ground work for the Department of Migrant Workers so that whoever will succeed her will not have a hard time,” dagdag niya.
Binawian ng buhay si Toots noong Martes, 22 Agosto sa edad na 61.
