Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 22) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., along with lawmakers, joined the nation in mourning the sudden death of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople.

Ople died on Tuesday at the age of 61.

“It’s very, very sad news. I have lost a friend, the Philippines has lost a friend,” Marcos said. “Secretary Toots was a special person. With the deep compassion really for the people she had to care for, namely the migrant workers, and she was very very—she’s a big loss.”

Marcos remembered Ople’s “deep compassion” in her work and for migrant workers. He likened Ople to her father, Blas Ople, who served as labor secretary during the term of the chief executive’s father, former president Ferdinand E. Marcos.

“It is a great loss to the Philippines for the service we know she could have still rendered,” he said.

Vice President Sara Duterte said the country lost a "real patriot" in Ople, whose life was dedicated to the welfare of OFWs and their families.

"She was a beacon of hope and a source of strength for migrant workers caught in distressing situations while working abroad," Duterte shared.

Remembered as a dedicated public servant with a gentle heart for workers, Ople was the first to lead the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the country's newest office dedicated to overseas Filipino workers.

In 2004, she founded and headed the Blas F. Ople Policy Center to assist labor and migrant concerns, extending her long track record of helping OFWs.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Ople's passing leaves an “irreplaceable void” that he said government officials will strive to fill with the “same remarkable warmth, conviction, and passion” the secretary had.

“She showed us that true leadership is about kindness and compassion, dedicating her life and her career to the least privileged and the least heard,” Zubiri said. “In her honor, we will continue the great gains she has made to protect and uplift our migrant workers and all of our laborers.”

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, meanwhile, said that migrant workers “lost a great champion” in Ople, whom he described as a consistent advocate of protecting workers’ rights.

“Migrant workers, and workers in general, have just lost a great and tireless champion in Secretary Ople. She was the first secretary of the department Congress had created to focus on attending to the welfare of millions of overseas Filipino workers,” Romualdez said.

KABAYAN Representative Ron Salo said the House committee on overseas workers affairs, which he chairs, hopes to honor Ople’s work by continually advocating for the rights and the protection of the welfare of all OFWs.

“She was a dear friend and a colleague. Her passion for promoting and protecting the welfare of every Filipino Migrant Worker is truly appreciated and will be greatly missed,” Salo said.

Senator Joel Villanueva recalled that during a Senate session when senators had approved the creation of the DMW, Ople was the first person on their minds to lead the agency.

“So when she was chosen wala ni isang nagtaas ng kilay o nagquestion bilang secretary ng DMW [no one raised an eyebrow or questioned her appointment as DMW secretary],”Villanueva shared.

Senator Risa Hontiveros remembered Ople as “loving and full of faith” and a “refuge” for OFWs, especially women workers, who were experiencing abuse in other countries.

“Her work extended far beyond the call of duty, as she tirelessly advocated for fair labor practices, better working conditions, and the protection of the rights of OFWs,” Hontiveros said, as she expressed hope that Ople’s legacy continues through ensuring rights and dignity of OFWs are protected.

Meanwhile, Bacolod Representative Greg Gasataya said Ople’s appointment as DMW secretary enabled the transition of the agency into a haven for Filipino Migrant Workers.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada remembered Ople as a "modern hero," especially when she headed the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-profit organization that caters to distressed OFWs, long before she was appointed secretary of DMW.

"Although she speaks in a gentle and sweet manner, she is a fierce advocate for the welfare of our fellow citizens and workers," Estrada said.