Senate adopts resolution honoring Gina Lopez

Gina Lopez. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines— The Senate has adopted a resolution honoring former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez for her tireless work on the preservation and conservation of the environment and for upholding children’s rights.

Lopez, 65, succumbed to brain cancer on Monday.

READ: Ex-DENR chief Gina Lopez passes away

At the Senate floor on Tuesday, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III mentioned about Senate Resolution No. 100, “expressing the profound sympathy and sincere condolences” of the Senate on Lopez’s passing.

The resolution was initiated by Senator Lito Lapid.

“Out of curiosity, there’s a resolution filed honoring former Secretary Gina Lopez,” Sotto said.

Addressing Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, the Senate leader then asked: “May I ask the Minority Leader if he remembers my vote on the confirmation of Secretary Lopez?”

“Do you remember, the Minority Leader? I showed it to you. You showed yours to me.”

Drilon took the floor, and responded to Sotto: “Both of us voted in the affirmative, Mr. President.”

In May 2017, the Commission on Appointments rejected Lopez’s appointment as Environment Secretary.

The decision was reached in a closed-door meeting of members of the CA’s committee on environment and natural resources and was later adopted in the plenary.

READ: CA panel rejects Gina Lopez appointment 

Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved that all senators be made co-sponsors and authors of the resolution.

After the approval of the resolution, Sotto directed the Senate Secretary to send a copy of the measure to the Lopez family.

In the resolution, Lapid called Lopez a “true warrior and advocate for the protection and preservation of our environment.”

“We want to honor and commemorate Ms. Lopez for her great service, achievements and contributions for the Filipino people as an environmental advocate, philanthropist and Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” he said.

Also taken into consideration was Senator Manny Pacquiao’s Senate Resolution No. 105 where he praised Lopez for her “remarkable contributions in environmental protection and upholding children’s rights.”

“Lopez has the qualities of a loving woman with a caring heart and who exhibits a selfless kind of love which inspires people from all walks of life,” Pacquiao said in his resolution.