Philippine Anti-Mining Advocate Dies Aged 65

Staunch eco-campaigner and former Philippine Environment Minister Gina Lopez has died at the age of 65, BBC reported.

She had strong stance against mining. Lopez  helped in closing down many quarries of country during her ten months in office in 2016.

Ms Lopez was also an advocate for children's rights and protection.

ABS-CBN, the broadcasting company her family founded, said she was a "pillar of strength".

She was chair of the company's social development organisation.

"She had a caring heart and selfless kind of love. Lopez inspired people, organisation to help and serve others," ABS-CBN said in a statement.

What was she known for?

During Rodrigo Duterte's government, Gina Lopez led a crackdown on mining in a country known for its nickel ore production.

Lopez closed 23 mines and suspended five others, as well as banning open-pit mining.

A campaign followed, led by the country's mining industry, which argued the move threatened the lives of some 1.2 million people who depended on the industry.

A congressional committee rejected her appointment as environment secretary and forced her to step down after 10 months.

Many of the mines then resumed and Gina Lopez later referred to her time in the post as "painful".

"I really do sincerely hope something can be done about the destruction that mining brings on," she said on Facebook. The post was published in July, while in the grip of what she referred to as a "health crisis".

She died from multiple organ failure but the cause of this has not been confirmed.

More about former Philippine Environment Minister Gina Lopez

According to Senator Bam Aquino, a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur, Gina Lopez "created generations of environmental warriors and inspired Filipinos to unite for a common cause".

Gina Lopez was the second of seven children and her family founded the broadcasting cooperation ABS-CBN before it was captured by the military under the rule of the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, in the 1970s.

As a teenager, Gina Lopez left the Philippines to study in the United States, before working as a yoga missionary in Portugal, India and Africa.

"I lived as the poor lived, so I learned how not to be wasteful - a trait I carry to this day where I use every bit of everything," she wrote in an essay in 2016, according to ABS-CBN.

"It is in Africa that I learned the quality of persistence," she added. "Hardship has its value."

"At an age when people are just figuring out what they want to do in life, she already knew her purpose," said her cousin Mark Lopez, chairman of ABS-CBN. "She left a comfortable life to devote her time and energy to help uplift other people's lives."

Gina Lopez also campaigned against child abuse, setting up a rescue hotline for children in Asia.

"We will miss Gina's light, as a private person, as a leader, and as a crusader," Mark Lopez added.

"While she left us a void that cannot be filled, we take comfort in knowing that with love, like she had shown us, there remains hope and beauty in the world we live in."