SHE may not have been the best secretary of the environment, but she will forever be the most memorable on record, and though her reign was brief, it was the most talked about, the most passionate, fearless, fierce, and fun. Thanks to her, men and women of the concrete jungle found a need to exchange commentaries about nature, the environment, ecology, as if they cared and understood, for that was what she had wanted them to do, take care of nature, for nature to take care of you.
The skies turned gray. The stars dimmed, flowers drooped their heads. Trees turned silent, the forest kept still, the birds of the air stopped flying and the little things in the ground sighed.
Gina Lopez was gone.
The Father of Creation and Mother Nature stood by but Gina departed way too soon. At 65 she had many more years ahead of her to do more good, if doing good could be measured in terms of how many people were helped and saved. With her livelihood projects, communities turned creative, earning money by converting plants into wellness and beauty products. Her Bantay Bata rescued children from a fate they were destined to escape, only because of her intervention. She groomed forgotten spaces into parks, parks into treasures of jade with sparkling silver cascades; revived rivers that had stagnated to death; brought the mountain to the prophet to open his eyes to the destruction that could have been prevented.
It was a mistake not to move mountains to have her nomination confirmed by due process, come what may. It was the state’s mistake – what a shame now to hear Malacañang lament her passing, as if they couldn’t have done something to prevent that mistake from occurring in the first (and second) place.
The firefly park in Puerto Princesa, Palawan is a 45-minute celestial journey under the velvety sky as your banca glides noiselessly through a galaxy of twinkling “Christmas tree” lights – fireflies! – in the millions. Stars overhead, fireflies all around, plankton glimmering in the water beneath the boat. Who but Gina could have dreamed up such a project?
In my heart, the memory of Gina will glitter and glow like a firefly.
