MALOLOS CITY – Bulacan officials paid tribute to the late statesman Blas F. Ople as the province celebrated his 84th birthday on Thursday, February 3.
One after the other incumbent and former elected officials of the province cited Ople’s contribution to economy, culture and history.
“Without him, I don’t know where will our country be today,” said Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado.
He said that it was Ople who opened the doors for Filipinos to work abroad after he penned the Labor Code of the country in the 70s.
At present, millions of overseas Filipino workers contribute at least $18-billion to the country’s economy annually.
“Ka Blas remains as Bulacan’s wonder boy,” he said noting that the late statesman rose from poverty to national prominence.
For his part, former 89 year old former Bulacan Governor Tomas Martin said that Ople is a model public servant as he was never implicated in any wrong doing during his service in the government.
“I have seen Blas as a young man and through his career at hindi siya katulad ng ibang opisyal na humingi ng pabaon,” he said.
During the brief ceremony held in front of the Gat. Blas Ople Building here, two children and other relatives of the late statesmen were present.
One of them, incumbent Board Member Felix Ople cited his father’s nationalism and “never ending romance with journalism.”
“After graduating in high school, Amang rewarded me by bringing me to Geneva and only there I realized that he will be elected as the first Filipino president of the International Labor Organization,” the young Ople said.
He said that his father’s nationalism was highlighted when he spoke extemporaneously in Filipino during his acceptance speech despite the fact that he has a prepared speech in Filipino.
The young Ople also disclosed that his father served as ghost writer for his friend, the late columnist Joe Guevarra.
“Not too many people know that it was Amang who was writing on behalf of Joe Guevarra in the late 90s when Guevarra was sick,” the young Ople said.
Known as the favorite son of Bulacan, Ople who considered himself as “largely self taught” who rose from poverty into national prominence as one of the leading thinkers of his generation.
The eldest son of Felix Ople and Segundina Fajardo, the late statesman completed his elementary education at the Hagonoy Elementary School walking barefoot to school.
He matriculated at the Hagonoy Institute but was not able to complete his secondary education there as World War II broke.
Still in his teenage years, Ople joined the Buenavista Regiment of the Bulacan Military Area together with other young men in fighting the Japanese imperial army.
As member of the Buenavista Regiment, he was one of the soldiers who pursued and captured Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita in Kiangan.
After the war, Ople worked as a dockhand at the piers of Manila where he witnessed the oppressive cabo system at the piers, vowing one that that he will end it.
The young Ople’s luck smiled at him when he was accepted with the now defunct Daily Mirror after he passed an instant exam with flying colors.
He worked as desk editor of the Daily Mirror and became its youngest columnist writing the column “Jeepney Tales”, when the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was the youngest war correspondent of the Manila Times in Korea.
In 1967, Ople was appointed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos as Labor Minister and he started writing the Philippine Labor Code which opened overseas employment to Filipinos.
Today, OFWs annual remittance amounts to over $18-billion.
In 1975, he was elected President of the International Labor Organization; and in 1978 as member of the national assembly representing Central Luzon. He was reelected to Batasang Pambansa in 1984.
After the fall of Marcos in 1986, the late President Corazon Aquino appointed Ople to the 1986 Constitutional Commission which produced the current Constitution.
In 1992, Ople was elected Senator and was reelected for a second term in 1998.
The following year, he was elected Senate President and in 2001, he was appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Foreign Affairs Secretary.
Ople died on December 14, 2003 on his way to the Middle East from Japan while working as Foreign Affairs Secretary.
He was married to Susana Vasquez with whom he had seven children.
One after the other incumbent and former elected officials of the province cited Ople’s contribution to economy, culture and history.
“Without him, I don’t know where will our country be today,” said Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado.
He said that it was Ople who opened the doors for Filipinos to work abroad after he penned the Labor Code of the country in the 70s.
At present, millions of overseas Filipino workers contribute at least $18-billion to the country’s economy annually.
“Ka Blas remains as Bulacan’s wonder boy,” he said noting that the late statesman rose from poverty to national prominence.
For his part, former 89 year old former Bulacan Governor Tomas Martin said that Ople is a model public servant as he was never implicated in any wrong doing during his service in the government.
“I have seen Blas as a young man and through his career at hindi siya katulad ng ibang opisyal na humingi ng pabaon,” he said.
During the brief ceremony held in front of the Gat. Blas Ople Building here, two children and other relatives of the late statesmen were present.
One of them, incumbent Board Member Felix Ople cited his father’s nationalism and “never ending romance with journalism.”
“After graduating in high school, Amang rewarded me by bringing me to Geneva and only there I realized that he will be elected as the first Filipino president of the International Labor Organization,” the young Ople said.
He said that his father’s nationalism was highlighted when he spoke extemporaneously in Filipino during his acceptance speech despite the fact that he has a prepared speech in Filipino.
The young Ople also disclosed that his father served as ghost writer for his friend, the late columnist Joe Guevarra.
“Not too many people know that it was Amang who was writing on behalf of Joe Guevarra in the late 90s when Guevarra was sick,” the young Ople said.
Known as the favorite son of Bulacan, Ople who considered himself as “largely self taught” who rose from poverty into national prominence as one of the leading thinkers of his generation.
The eldest son of Felix Ople and Segundina Fajardo, the late statesman completed his elementary education at the Hagonoy Elementary School walking barefoot to school.
He matriculated at the Hagonoy Institute but was not able to complete his secondary education there as World War II broke.
Still in his teenage years, Ople joined the Buenavista Regiment of the Bulacan Military Area together with other young men in fighting the Japanese imperial army.
As member of the Buenavista Regiment, he was one of the soldiers who pursued and captured Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita in Kiangan.
After the war, Ople worked as a dockhand at the piers of Manila where he witnessed the oppressive cabo system at the piers, vowing one that that he will end it.
The young Ople’s luck smiled at him when he was accepted with the now defunct Daily Mirror after he passed an instant exam with flying colors.
He worked as desk editor of the Daily Mirror and became its youngest columnist writing the column “Jeepney Tales”, when the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was the youngest war correspondent of the Manila Times in Korea.
In 1967, Ople was appointed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos as Labor Minister and he started writing the Philippine Labor Code which opened overseas employment to Filipinos.
Today, OFWs annual remittance amounts to over $18-billion.
In 1975, he was elected President of the International Labor Organization; and in 1978 as member of the national assembly representing Central Luzon. He was reelected to Batasang Pambansa in 1984.
After the fall of Marcos in 1986, the late President Corazon Aquino appointed Ople to the 1986 Constitutional Commission which produced the current Constitution.
In 1992, Ople was elected Senator and was reelected for a second term in 1998.
The following year, he was elected Senate President and in 2001, he was appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Foreign Affairs Secretary.
Ople died on December 14, 2003 on his way to the Middle East from Japan while working as Foreign Affairs Secretary.
He was married to Susana Vasquez with whom he had seven children.
