I had no personal encounter with Gina Lopez, but somehow, I feel like a part of me was broken when I heard about her death.
We lost such a beautiful and gentle soul who was also a ferocious warrior fighting for our Mother Earth.
What struck me most about this woman was her humility. Although born to a wealthy family, she gave up a luxurious life and lived in poverty as a yoga missionary. For her to experience extreme poverty is a testament to her pure spirituality. For two years, she lived in a slum area in Kenya and
had to queue for water every single day. Who among us could even contemplate doing that, of giving up a comfortable life in exchange for this incredible challenge?
The Philippines lost a Filipino worthy to be a public servant. When she was refused confirmation as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we lost a leader who could have really made a change. Shame to those members of the Commission on Appointments for rejecting her.
As in the case of the late senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Raul Roco, the death of Gina Lopez is a great loss to all Filipinos, especially the children, the poor and those who love nature.
RADO GATCHALIAN,
Sydney, Australia