Regina Paz "Gina" La'o Lopez (December 27, 1953 – August 19, 2019) was a Filipino environmentalist and philanthropist who served as
Secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
'
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...
(DENR) in an ''ad interim'' basis under the
Duterte administration
Rodrigo Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest t ...
. She was previously the Chairperson of the
Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission
The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission was a state commission in charge of the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. The commission served for 20 years, from 1999 until its dissolution by President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2019. The body's po ...
under two consecutive administrations. Lopez was also a yoga missionary and a pioneer for
corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of international private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethicall ...
.
Early life
Gina was the daughter of
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
Chairman Emeritus
Eugenio Lopez Jr.
Eugenio "Geny" Moreno Lopez Jr. (November 4, 1928 – June 28, 1999) was the chairman emeritus of ABS-CBN Corporation from 1997 to 1999. He was known within the Lopez Group of Companies as "''Kapitán''" ( Filipino for "Captain"). His great-gra ...
of
Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
and Conchita La'o of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. She had six siblings and the sister of
Eugenio Lopez III
Eugenio Gabriel "Gabby" Lopez III (born August 13, 1952) is a Filipino-American businessman who was the CEO (1993–2013), chairman (1997–2018) and chairman emeritus (2018–2020) of ABS-CBN Corporation, the largest entertainment and media co ...
. Lopez went to
Assumption College and
Newton College of the Sacred Heart
Newton College of the Sacred Heart was a small women's liberal arts college in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. It opened in 1946 and merged with Boston College in June 1974.
The college was highly regarded during its time, and in 1971 founded the ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
(which was later integrated into
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
). While she did not obtain a bachelor's degree, she held a master's degree in Development Management from the
Asian Institute of Management
The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is an international management school and research institution. It is one of the few business schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Busine ...
. She had two sons, Roberto and Benjamin.
Civic involvement
After studying in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Lopez left her privileged life in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and became a
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
missionary for twenty dedicated years and lived in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. She met her future husband in Africa with whom she had two sons. She became an
Ananda Marga
Ānanda Mārga ("The Path of Bliss", also spelled Anand Marg and Ananda Marg) or officially Ānanda Mārga Pracāraka Saṃgha (organization for the propagation of the path of bliss), is a world-wide socio-spiritual organisation founded in J ...
yoga missionary who taught yoga, and ran pre-primary schools and children's homes for the underprivileged. She lived among the people of slum areas in Africa guided by the slogan ‘Service to humanity is service to God’.
When she returned to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, she initiated corporate social responsibility programs for the environment and Filipino communities. She became the Managing Director of the
ABS-CBN Foundation
This is a list of subsidiaries owned by ABS-CBN Corporation, a Philippine media and entertainment conglomerate based in Quezon City. This also includes business segments that are owned and operated by the company including its blocktime agreeme ...
.
She initiated
Bantay Bata 163, the country's first media-based hotline. In 1997, Bantay Bata was the United Nations Grand Awardee for Excellence besting 187 countries all over the world.
She established Bantay Kalikasan, for which she received the 1997 International Public Relations Award of Excellence for the Environment and outstanding Manilans Award for the Environment, 2009.
She produced
educational television
Educational television or learning television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable telev ...
shows on Science, Math, Values, History and English for elementary and Philippine Literature for high school. For ''
Sine'skwela
''Sine'skwela'' (, a portmanteau of the Filipino words Sine and Eskwela) was a Philippine children's television series produced by ABS-CBN Foundation (formerly ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation), Science Education Institute of the Department ...
'', Ms. Lopez was honored with the UNESCo
Kalinga Award
The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga ...
, the first Southeast Asian to earn such a distinction.
She was also the Vice-Chairperson of the ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation, which provides
microfinance
Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...
assistance to micro-entrepreneurs. She was also the Chairman Emeritus of the Southeast Asian Children's Television.
Lopez also initiated the rehabilitation of the
Pasig River
The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and souther ...
and nearby urban
streams
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
through the Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig project. once considered as the lifeline of the Filipino nation, the Pasig River is one of the most polluted and toxic river systems in the Philippines today. For her efforts in rehabilitating the river, she was appointed in 2010 by President
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
as the Chairperson of the
Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission
The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission was a state commission in charge of the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. The commission served for 20 years, from 1999 until its dissolution by President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2019. The body's po ...
. Her efforts in the commission led to a river rehabilitation revolution which cleansed numerous tributaries in the Pasig river system. She was also responsible for the
reforestation
Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting.
Management
A debate ...
of the
La Mesa Watershed Reservation
The La Mesa Watershed Reservation is a protected area that preserves the only major watershed in Metro Manila, Philippines. Also known as the Novaliches Watershed, it contains the last remaining rainforest of its size in Metro Manila surroun ...
, the last remaining forest zone in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
.
She organized Bayanijuan (). Lopez also launched the Save Palawan Movement along with her partner organizations and gathered 7 million signatures for a petition for protection of key
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
areas and against mining.
Lopez was a vehement anti-mining advocate, known for her stance against large-scale mining in the province of
Palawan
Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
. She backed the No Mining In Palawan Movement. She also objected to the use of
fossil fuels
A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...
as sources of energy and coal mining.
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources
During a courtesy visit with President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
in
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...
, Lopez initiated an environmental lecture for Duterte about the need for a better national environmental policy. Duterte then asked her to be his secretary for environment. A few days later, she accepted the offer and was formally appointed by the president to head the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or DENR. She was grilled by social media on her appointment because of her family name, ''
Lopez'', which is much regarded as a Filipino business tycoon surname.
She hit the ground running on the very first day in office. She audited all mining sites and firms in the entire country and stripped environmental certificates from a chunk of the mining industry due to massive violations against the environment and the law, the first time a secretary of environment had done so. This led to a massive public show of support for Lopez's work as DENR secretary and an apology to her for the grilling she suffered on social media. Few of the many notable certificates that were stripped were those for mining companies doing operations in
Semirara Island
Semirara is an island in the Philippines located at in the Caluya archipelago which is situated south of Mindoro Island. It is under the jurisdiction of the town of Caluya of the province of Antique. It is a major site of coal mining in the Phili ...
(a key biodiversity area) in
Antique
An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
,
Eastern Samar
Eastern Samar (Waray-Waray: ''Sinirangan Samar''; tl, Silangang Samar), officially the Province of Eastern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan. Eastern Samar occupies ...
,
Surigao del Sur
Surigao del Sur (Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located ...
which is home to indigenous Lumad communities, and
Cordillera Administrative Region
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR; ilo, Rehion/Deppaar Administratibo ti Kordiliera; fil, Rehiyong Pampangasiwaan ng Cordillera), also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera (), is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...
, which is the melting pot of the northern Luzon indigenous people. Lopez advocated a
100% renewable energy
100% renewable energy means getting all energy from renewable resources. The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues, ...
Philippines and was vehemently opposed to mining having stated, ''"The Philippines does not need mining."'' Her anti-mining sentiment was backed by years of Philippine research on mining, both ecologically and economically. She also said that there would be no mining operations of any form on Palawan, which is popularly known as the last ecological frontier of the country. Within less than 2 months, she audited all mining firms from
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
,
Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...
, and
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. She was also an indigenous people (IP) advocate. She immediately established forums for consultations between the DENR and the indigenous people sector in the Philippines, the first time a DENR secretary did so. She also established the first ever DENR public hotline wherein the public could report all environmental violations of any entity in the country directly to the DENR and her office. She was against nuclear energy due to years of research on the matter. The Nuclear Power Plant in
Bataan
Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...
will only contribute to less than 0.5% to the National Energy Grid when operated and its costs will be much higher, making it unsustainable. She preferred the establishment of more wind and solar power plants, which are massively cheaper and sustainable in the long-run, and the possible cooperation of the Philippines and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to establish the first wave energy plants in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
. The Philippines is the center of the
Pacific Typhoon Belt, bestowing it with the most maximized wind and wave shocks in the world.
In a public announcement, she told the media that all buffer zones in all protected areas in the country shall also be revitalized into their natural state. She was also pushing for the establishment of numerous protected areas in the country such as the West
Panay
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...
Mountain Range National Park. She also announced that the UP Arboretum would be an ecological paradise where the informal settlers in the area will be the partners for its development. Her environmental policies were much criticized by some big business ventures and pro-mining lawmakers (her father owns one of the biggest companies in the country), but were backed by numerous environmental and human rights NGo's. In a recent survey, Filipinos backed Lopez's environmental policy by a huge majority. She was called a symbol and champion of environmental conservation in the country ever since.
Lopez's appointment as Environment Secretary was rejected by the
Commission on Appointments
The Commission on Appointments ( fil, Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by th ...
(CA) in a vote of 8–16 on May 3, 2017, amid issues over her controversial policies and alleged incompetence.
She was the second member of President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet to be rejected by the Commission on Appointments following former
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay
Perfecto Rivas Yasay Jr. (January 27, 1947June 12, 2020) was a Philippine government official who served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines under the Duterte administration in an ''ad interim'' basis from June 30, 2016, until ...
. In a press conference after the announcement of her rejection, Lopez thanked the eight CA members who "voted according to their conscience" and urged the legislators to look after the needs of the poor and not of big businesses. She said "it is unfortunate that business interest have in fact run the day." She added "if government co-opts to big businesses, then what hope does the poor have? What message are we giving here? If you wanna be confirmed, don't go against big businesses."
Return to private sector and public activism
Lopez hosted an environmental show on
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, entitled ''
G Diaries
''G Diaries'' is a Philippine travel and lifestyle television program created by ABS-CBN Foundation. It features destinations throughout the Philippines for an effort to support ecotourism. The program debuted on ABS-CBN on June 10, 2017, as par ...
'', which premiered on June 4, 2017. The show focuses on environmental conservation and innovations. The show also premiered on ANC due to its high ratings.
She became the first
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
to be awarded the prestigious
Seacology
Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...
Prize on October 5, 2017, in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. The prize states that Lopez is "someone who has shown exceptional achievement in preserving island environments and culture" and “shown the vision and courage the Seacology Prize is meant to honor. She has fought for the Philippines environment and gave island communities there a voice in the decisions that affect their natural resources and their lives.”
She was also cited for establishing the first ever consultations between the government and indigenous groups in the Philippines and for banning
open-pit mining
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow.
This form of mining ...
.
In the same month, Lopez campaigned against the possible lifting of the open-pit mining ban, which she installed while DENR secretary. It was revealed that newly appointed DENR Secretary
Roy Cimatu
Roy Agullana Cimatu (, born July 4, 1946) is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources from 2017 to 2022 in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte. He previously served as the Chief of ...
supported the lifting of the ban, causing outrage from environmental organizations. The lifting of the ban was eventually supported by President Duterte, despite backing Lopez's imposition of the ban in early 2017. On October 24, the ban was officially lifted by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), a commission which advocated mining in the Philippines. 26 mining agreements that were halted by Lopez were sent by Cimatu to the MICC for evaluation and confirmation as well.
Death and legacy
Lopez was diagnosed with
brain cancer
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...
. She died of multiple organ failure related to the disease at
Makati Medical Center
Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...
on August 19, 2019, at the age of 65.
In February 2020, the ABS-CBN Foundation Building was renamed to Gina Lopez Building in her honor.
In popular culture
Lopez was portrayed by
Paula Peralejo
Paula Peralejo (; born June 29, 1984) is the stage name of Maria Elena Paula Bautista Peralejo-Fernandez, a former Filipino actress. She is the younger sister of actress Rica Peralejo.
TV career
Peralejo was among the cast of ABS-CBN's ''Ang ...
in the 1995 film ''
Eskapo
''Eskapo'' is a 1995 Filipino historical thriller film directed by Chito S. Roño and written by Roy Iglesias and Jose Lacaba. It stars Christopher de Leon and Richard Gomez as Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr. and Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III respectivel ...
''.
Awards
*United Nations Grand Awardee for Excellence (1997) for the
Bantay Bata 163 which she initiated and advocated
*International Public Relations Award of Excellence for the Environment (1997)
*outstanding Manilans Award for the Environment (2009)
*UNESCO Kalinga Award, where she was the first Southeast Asian to receive the prestigious award
*2017
Seacology
Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...
Prize
References
External links
* Gina Lopez Documentary "Genuine Love" on ABS-CBN
part 1part 2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Gina
1953 births
2019 deaths
López family of Iloilo
Anti-mining activists
Asian Institute of Management alumni
Assumption University (Worcester) alumni
Converts to Hinduism from Christianity
Deaths from brain cancer in the Philippines
Benigno Aquino III administration personnel
Duterte administration cabinet members
Filipino environmentalists
Filipino philanthropists
Heads of government agencies of the Philippines
Secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines
Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines
Kalinga Prize recipients
Newton College of the Sacred Heart alumni