00:00 She was not only his contemporary, but a dear friend and treasured colleague in government
00:05 service.
00:06 And today, the president's grief was in full display as he extolled and eulogized her work
00:11 as one of his first and most trusted government appointees, whose father served under his
00:16 dad and how it all came full circle in her productive yet short-lived professional stint
00:21 under his watch.
00:22 Alan Francisco, on a choked up president who opened the doors of the palace for a special
00:27 gathering to honor and bid farewell to a friend and colleague in this report.
00:37 The Philippine flag was first to receive and welcome the remains of Department of Migrant
00:42 Workers Secretary Maria Susana Tutzople at the gate of Malacanang when she was taken
00:48 this morning for her necrological service.
00:51 For a tribute to her decades of service to the nation and her fellow Filipinos.
00:56 And when the arrival ceremony of the remains of the secretary started, silence covered
01:01 the surroundings.
01:05 President Ferdinand R. Marquez, Jr. and the Ople family welcomed the remains of the secretary.
01:10 Stems and petals of flowers poured from high.
01:13 Her remains was brought inside Kalayaan Hall in Malacanang where a mass was held.
01:19 In the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours.
01:23 It was attended by cabinet colleagues, including Secretary of Education and Vice President
01:29 Sara Duterte.
01:30 This was followed by President Marquez's eulogy.
01:33 Here, the president could not stop from turning emotional.
01:40 We are told when you are an official that you cannot show emotion, that you must be
01:47 stoic and you must keep yourself to yourself.
01:54 (In Filipino)
01:57 And if I do shed a tear, it is because it is such a sad day.
02:16 According to the president, the secretary's demise was not just a loss of a friend, but
02:21 also of a grateful nation's public servant.
02:24 We know that TUS was sick.
02:27 And of course, it is possible that he will be sent home by our God.
02:40 (In Filipino)
02:50 If anyone deserved a miracle, it was TUS for all the good that she did.
02:57 (In Filipino)
02:58 And when I heard the news that TUS was gone, I was not able to give her anything.
03:10 There was no miracle.
03:11 But the next few days, I thought, "No, I was wrong.
03:14 A miracle really happened.
03:16 TUS was a miracle.
03:17 She was brought back to life and became our friend.
03:23 She did her best for herself and for her fellow Filipinos.
03:33 The president's described his trusted appointee and close ally as professional, hardworking
03:38 and loving to fellow Filipinos.
03:40 (In Filipino)
03:41 Of course, we immediately thought, "What about TUS's job now?
03:46 Who will do it?"
03:48 At first, we thought we needed to replace her.
03:53 We needed to replace her.
03:56 But as I was thinking, I couldn't sleep.
03:59 I was thinking, "What should I replace her with?"
04:01 There's nothing TUS can replace.
04:03 Let's look for her talent.
04:05 But let's not expect TUS to replace her.
04:08 Let's not expect TUS to replace her.
04:19 The Secretary's daughter thanked President Marcos.
04:22 Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
04:24 Because you allowed my mom to live her mission by trusting her with a position despite her illness.
04:32 We know that with stage 4 cancer, which was what she had when you appointed her,
04:38 that her days were not as long as we would like.
04:44 And what she really wanted was to have more opportunity to serve and to make an impact
04:52 and to follow the footsteps of my grandfather, the late Blasef Ople.
04:57 So it is with gratitude that I thank you that you saw beyond her illness
05:04 and you saw through her heart that she really wanted to help your administration be the best that it could be.
05:12 She told us that she wanted to serve you at least until December.
05:17 She said that if she is given the time by the Lord,
05:22 she feels that it would be enough to set the groundwork for the Department of Migrant Workers
05:30 so that whoever will succeed her will not have a hard time
05:34 and that it is an institution that will also last like the institution that my grandfather built as well.
05:40 The public viewing for the remains of the Secretary opened this afternoon at the Kalayaan Hall.
05:45 Whether well-known personalities or ordinary Filipinos, they showed respect to Secretary Tuts.
05:52 Actually, she is the one we call when we have problems with our OFWs, the Taga Bulacan.
06:00 And even the outsiders, not just the Bulacanians, ask for help because they know that Secretary Tuts is close to us.
06:10 I'm really, really hurt because of that. When I heard, I saw on TV that Ma'am Susan Ofle left us.
06:19 The best so far, as I saw her characteristics, she is so kind, so humane.
06:26 Alan Francisco, for the Nation.
