DENR Sec. Gina Lopez. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Former Environment secretary Gina Lopez on Monday, August 19, 2019, passed away at age of 65, the ABS-CBN Corp. announced.
“Gina was the pillar of strength that pushed ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) to achieve what seemed to be impossible. Her caring heart and selfless kind of love inspired people within and beyond the organization to help and serve others,” ABS-CBN said in a statement posted on its news website.
According to the announcement, Lopez died after battling brain cancer.
“While we mourn with Gina’s family and loved ones, we also pray that her legacy continues to live on in the heart of every Kapamilya she had touched in her lifetime.
“We will never forget her and will continue to honr her remarkable contributions not only to ABS-CBN, but the entire nation.
“Thank you Gina, for showing us how it is to live in the service of the Filipino,” the ABS-CBN statement said.
When she was the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Lopez introduced reforms in the agency and made some contentious decisions.
MORE STORIES
DENR to LGUs: Set up landfills or face sanctions
Polluted San Juan River to undergo rehab
Cardema accuses Guanzon of ‘playing victim’ in death threats
In February 2017, Lopez ordered 23 mines shut and five others suspended. She also canceled 75 contracts for mining projects located in watersheds.
But her stint at the DENR was short-lived.
In May 2017, the Commission on Appointments voted 16-8 through secret balloting to end her 10-month tenure, during which she nearly shut the mining industry of the Philippines, the world’s biggest exporter of nickel./ac