Gina Lopez Bio

Gina Lopez was a Filipino philanthropist and environmentalist. She was known for her tireless environmental work across the globe.

Gina was particularly focused on cracking down on the coal industry and cleaning up the water systems.

She was born on 27th December 1953 and died on 18th August 2019 at the age of 65.

Education

She attended Assumption College and Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Boston, and also went on to get a master’s degree in Development Management.

Gina Lopez as Environment Secretary

Lopez Was Formerly the Environment Secretary until May 2017 in the Philippines. Her appointment ended after the Commission on Appointments rejected it.

Lopez’s first speech as Environment Secretary, she said, “The best way to protect the environment is to improve people’s lives. That’s my experience.”

ABS-CBN’s chairman, Mark Lopez who is the cousin of Lopez said, At an age when people are just figuring out what they want to do in life, she already knew her purpose.

She left a comfortable life to devote her time and energy to help uplift other people’s lives.

Mark continued, When she returned to join ABS-CBN, she instilled in her people the same drive to help.

For her, nothing can be done, no effort is too small, anybody can — and should — do their part in making the world a better place.

Gina Lopez Philanthropist

Lopez Was a Notable Philanthropist & Founded Multiple Charitable Organizations.

In addition to her work with the ABS-CBN Foundation, Lopez also founded Bantay Bata 163, which is a helpline aimed at helping people report instances of child abuse.

She also founded Investments in Loving Organizations for Village Economies, an organization that seeks to lift communities out of poverty by establishing environmentally conscious businesses in the area.

Gina Lopez Awards

Lopez Was Awarded the Seacology Prize in 2017. She was the first Filipino to be awarded the prestigious Seacology Prize.

The international prize honors someone who has made an impact on bettering their environment.

The awards committee specifically noted her efforts to end open-pit mining, as well as establishing consultations between the Filipino government and indigenous communities.

Lopez said she would donate her $10,000 prize to charity. As seen in the video above.

Husband & Children

According to Rogue Media, Lopez met her ex-husband while doing missionary work in Africa. To be clear, she wasn’t a missionary for religious purposes. Rather, she was a yoga missionary for twenty years, traveling through India and then Africa.

Lopez’s husband was her boss, she explained in another essay, though she didn’t clarify what exact role he held or at what point they met. However, they eventually married and had two sons together.

To Rogue Media, Lopez wrote, “I eventually had to go home since I fell in love with my husband, who at the time was my boss. One can’t have relationships with the opposite sex as a missionary.”

Gina Lopez Death Cause

Gina Lopes died on August 18th, 2019 at the age of 65. According to Rappler, Lopez had been battling brain cancer in recent months, though her official cause of death was multiple organ failure.

Following news of her death, ABS-CBN Foundation (of which she was the chairperson for many years) released the following statement:

Lopez’s family is asking for donations to the foundation in lieu of any flowers. You can learn more about the foundation here.