Photo courtesy of: Blas Ople Policy Center Facebook Page
Carrying the name of the prominent Ople family, known for being staunch advocates of Filipino workers since the 1960s, means carrying the history and legacy that greatly shaped the Philippine labor landscape.
That legacy now rests upon the shoulders of Estelle Ople-Osorio— the only daughter of former Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, and grand daughter of the late Labor and Employment Secretary Blas “Ka Blas” Ople, who also served as a Philippine Senator and Secretary of Foreign Affairs during his time.
Estelle’s grandfather was hailed as the “Father of the Philippine Labor Code,” for crafting the Labor Code in 1974, while her mother was widely regarded as the “Ilaw ng Tahanan ng Overseas Filipino Workers (Light of the home of OFWs),” having been appointed as the first secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and having served as a guiding light for thousands of OFWs, especially those facing extraordinary challenges abroad.
In 2004, Sec. Toots founded the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a non-government organization that assists distressed OFWs.
“Para kong kapatid ang Ople Center (the center is like my sibling), growing up, it has always been my mom’s passion. So it has always been me and Ople Center,” Estelle fondly recalled.
Eventually, Estelle chose a different path and explored the corporate world after college. But while she was thriving in her corporate career as a business manager at a multinational company, Estelle quickly stepped up and took the reins of the Ople Center when her mother died in 2023. “It was not easy,” she admitted, but she said she was determined to continue her mother’s lifelong legacy, so she pressed on.
“The Ople Center was on the verge of closing last year. Because we are a non-profit organization and the grants had dried up, we ran out of money last February 2025. At that time, I was telling my mom in heaven that I had to figure out how to make it work,” she humbly shared.
“For about two months, I personally paid for the center’s overhead expenses using my own savings. But I told my mom in heaven in a prayer, sabi ko (I said) I’m not sure how long I can continue doing this.”
As fate would have it, the millennial Ople crossed paths with AMOSUP’s President, Dr. Conrado Oca at an event, who offered the union’s multi-purpose venues in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for them to conduct their activities for OFWs. Several companies and agencies also came in and committed to support their organization financially. “I told Doc Oca with gratitude and with humility, the Ople Center would not have survived 2025 without the help of AMOSUP. I was ready to say that ‘that was a good 20 years, unfortunately we will not be able to continue anymore,’ but because of that… we were able to continue helping distressed OFWs, and then we were also able to bring government services to AMOSUP offices outside Metro Manila. (Through our caravan), the DMW was able to provide financial assistance and support checks to distressed workers as well. All of these became possible because Doc Oca extended his help to us,” she remarked.
Dr. Oca expressed his appreciation to the Ople Center for its contribution to uplifting the lives of OFWs. He said Estelle’s story is heartwarming, and that “AMOSUP supports their cause because migrant workers, including Filipino seafarers, are the heart of our society, and we should work together in safeguarding their rights and welfare,” he said.
Estelle lauded AMOSUP and Dr. Oca for the union’s services across the country. “In every place I have gone to, the level of service and care that you provide to seafarers, as I say publicly with or without Doc Oca there… I mention that AMOSUP should be the gold standard by how we treat our migrant workers, (it should be the) role model… How wonderful would it be if other stakeholders also follow,” she said.
As the new president of the Ople Center, Estelle is committed to proactively continuing and further strengthening the initiatives established by her mother for OFWs. According to her, the network Sec. Toots has built through her decades-long public service, significantly help her to reach and help OFWs. Estelle hopes to continue honoring her late mother through carrying onward the Ople brand of commitment and compassion for overseas Filipino workers.