Bulacan mourns death of ‘Amang’

MALOLOS, Bulacan — Local officials in this province mourned the death of Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople, who succumbed to a heart attack in Taiwan yesterday.

Bulacan Gov. Josefina dela Cruz said Ople’s death is a great loss for Philippine politics.

"With his great contribution to the country, I can say that he is a great loss, and I condole with the family of Ka Blas. Our country lost another great leader," she said.

Ople, 76, hailed from the coastal town of Malolos, where his son Felix now serves as mayor. He was fondly called "Amang" by his family and town mates, and religiously celebrated his birthday in his hometown.

Bustos Mayor Carlito Reyes, who was among the 10 Bulacan mayors who recently defected to the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats along with Ople, said he was surprised to learn of the statesman’s death.

"Such a great loss to the province. But our group would have to adjust. We have to remain firm even though we have lost one of our strong political leaders. Dapat lalo pa kaming magkaisa upang maipagpatuloy ang mga nasimulan ni Ka Blas (We should unify our efforts to continue what Ka Blas started)," he said.

San Ildefonso Mayor Edgardo Galvez, who also defected to Lakas, echoed Reyes’ sentiments.

Bulacan Press Club president Joey Munsayac said his group mourns Ople, who was a columnist for the Manila Bulletin at the time of his death.

Ople was a prominent opposition figure since the administration of President Corazon Aquino until he moved to Lakas after assuming the post of foreign affairs secretary under the Arroyo administration.

During the 2001 elections, he led the Del Pilar Coalition, an alliance of then Lakas-National Union of Christian Democrats-United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (Lakas-NUCD-UMDP) and the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) in Bulacan when his son Raul ran for congressman.

President Arroyo, who is Lakas national chairman, swore in Ople, the 10 Bulacan mayors, and her estranged ally Bulacan Rep. Wilfrido Villarama last Dec. 8. Ople was named chairman of the Lakas policy advisory council and Central Luzon co-chairman of the party.

"The opposition leaders in my province have convinced me that Lakas is the right party for us, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the right president in the current historical circumstances," Ople said.

"What moved us to this decision is the conviction that President Arroyo should have the chance to continue her bold economic and political reforms on a sustained basis," he said.

Before joining the Cabinet last year, Ople, then a senator, was Central Luzon chairman of the LDP. He was also the Senate foreign relations committee chairman.

Ople said he considered himself on indefinite leave from the LDP since he assumed the post of foreign affairs secretary in July 2002.

He was also instrumental in Villarama’s reconciliation with Mrs. Arroyo.

"For me, the sense of loss is deep and immense. I have lost a mentor, a father and a friend all rolled into one," Villarama said.

Villarama, formerly a member of presidential aspirant Raul Roco’s Aksyon Demokratiko party, said he resigned from Aksyon seven months ago and has been independent since then. He was Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff when she was vice president and had a falling out with her after he joined Roco’s group. — With Marichu Villanueva