I hardly know Susie even after I joined Social Security System (SSS). I got a glimpse of her from her column pieces, from her work and from the descriptions of colleagues who spoke highly of her. She had been on and off the sickbed already when I started working in SSS, but wondered of the mystic glow and enthusiasm for work that negated her dismal state of health.
There’s no question she valued and loved her job at SSS. When she left academe as a mass communication professor at the University of the Philippines, she put to good use her skills and talent in the practice her craft and enjoyed every minute of her work. She seemed guided by the words of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: “Human existence lies not just in staying alive but in finding a reason to live for.” Championing social security, particularly for the average working man, has given her the reason to wake up each morning and joyfully confront the daily challenges of life. You don’t really have to be acquainted for a long time to really know a person. All you need is to hear the conviction in her voice, the sincerity of her looks, the integrity of her words and the decisiveness of her action. Yes, those are Susie’s unmistakable trademarks. The first time you meet her, you may find a fault, but once you get to know her better, you find only virtues. A true voice of calm and reason that helped position the SSS as a bastion of social justice and protection for the Filipino workingman. As spokesman and chief information officer, she was a true voice of calm and reason, a role that fitted her to a T—true, tried and tested.
She accepted praise with pride and humility and handled criticisms with poise and dignity. She deftly navigated the minefield of media and public affairs where you meet, as one writer has aptly put it, “the wits, the half-wits and the nitwits”. She proved that one does not have to use vile and loud language and a devious or forked tongue to command media and public attention. Her soft voice and straight talk never failed to deliver the strong and compelling message that forced everyone to listen.
She discharged her duties with passion and energy unmatched by many. She never engaged in double-talk, since her singular devotion is to SSS and its members. She was a unifier, not a polarizer, and that was the reason she was able to bring us to work together—SSS and its members, employees and employers and SSC and the media. Even as I speak now, Susie’s words reverberate inside this hall, whose walls have heard her memorable speeches that still resonate in our hearts and minds.
Death will not still your voice, Susie…. Susie was a devoted sister, a loving aunt, a loyal friend, a caring colleague and a true Christian. She was a public servant who subordinated her self-interest to that of her people, the country and God. Let me quote African-American writer, Maya Angelou, who once said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take that breath away.” Susie, I would like to tell you that you have taken our breaths many, many times with your extraordinary work. Your death signaled the end of summer this year. On the first evening of your wake, heaven mourned with a heavy downpour that flooded many areas. Thunder cracked and lightning burned the dark sky. Even Nature shared our grief. When summer was done, you were gone, but you leave us with happy memories of many summers that will stay forever in our hearts.
Susie stayed single and remained singularly devoted to her job. So maybe I’m wrong. In fact, she was married to SSS. For the past 29 years SSS was her family…SSS was her love…SSS was her life…
Good-bye, dear Susie.