MANILA, Philippines — Perhaps one of the most memorable things about former Environment chief Gina Lopez was her fondness of R. Kelly’s classic hit “I Believe I Can Fly.”
Among those who pointed this out as the news of her passing broke Monday was television host Gretchen Ho.
“I BELIEVE I CAN FLY. She would always sing at the end of a meeting, speech or presscon. Her passion never fails to reverberate around the room,” Ho reminisced in an Instagram post.
It can be recalled how Lopez belted out “I Believe I Can Fly” in front of reporters after she was rejected as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) back in May 2017.
In fact, this moment was also unforgettable for Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu as he pointed out in his tribute for Lopez.
“I will not forget your advocacies for a better environment for our country. I will not also forget your song during our turn over in May 2017, the song, ‘I believe I can FLY.’ So, Sec. Gina, FLY NOW,” Cimatu said.
In a televised interview, Lopez explained the R. Kelly hit is a song for the Filipinos.
“That’s a song for the Filipino,” Lopez explained.
“Because we’re so colonized and we think we’re small. But if you feel small, you will think small, dream small, and will do small. We’re not small! We should believe we can fly,” she added.
Lopez succumbed to brain cancer Monday morning. She was 65. /je
READ: Ex-DENR chief Gina Lopez passes away