Garcia matriarch passes away

CEBU, Philippines - The family of retired judge Esperanza Fiel-Garcia has announced that she died late last Monday after a long battle with kidney failure. She was 82.

She was the wife of former governor and House of Representatives deputy speaker Pablo “Pabling” Garcia; and mother of former governor and now third district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia, former Government Service Insurance System president and general manager Winston Garcia, former congressman Pablo John Garcia, Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Gamaliel Garcia, former Barili vice mayor Marlon Garcia and former Capitol security consultant Byron Garcia. 

Her family confirmed her demise through a press statement, describing her as “loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.”

“She will be sorely missed by her family, and by countless others whose lives were made better, richer and more meaningful because of her presence, her gift of laughter, her counsel, her compassion, her work and her love. The family asks for prayers in this time of deep and unbearable grief,” the statement read.

“While retired as a regional trial court judge for many years, she remained, to her last day, actively involved in her greatest work and legacy, the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative… With her guidance, love and devotion, Cebu CFI Community Cooperative has grown into one of the biggest and most successful cooperatives in the entire country,” it added.

Garcia founded CFI in 1970 with a little more than 20 members and P200 in capital contributions. With her guidance, it grew into one of the biggest and most successful cooperatives in the entire country, with over P10 billion in assets and over 90,000 members nationwide.

Yesterday, CFI’s offices at the Capitol displayed framed pictures of Garcia along with flowers and candles.

The cooperative was first opened exclusively to CFI employees, with its primary purpose was to teach its members how to save and loan responsibly, and provided them affordable financing alternatives.

In 2003, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. honored the cooperative with the Eduardo Aboitiz Award for Outstanding Institution.

Born in Leyte, Garcia grew up during the Japanese occupation, and witnessed the liberation of the Philippines.

Inspired to serve others, she pursued a career in law and eventually joined the Court of First Instance in Cebu where she rose through the ranks. In 1970, when she was still a clerk of court, Garcia, with then Justice Francisco Tantuico, helped organize the Cebu CFI.

Among other personal accolades, Garcia, on January 1, 2000, received the Baul Award as Model Filipino from the Filipino Foundation for her life-long work of initiating and nurturing the organization of one of the “Most Successful Cooperative” in the country.

She was also awarded the Tony Martin Leadership Awards by VICTO on April 29, 2001 as outstanding volunteer leader in the VICTO Network, and has demonstrated exemplary performance for enhancing the promotion of cooperativism and fostering the ideals of freedom, justice and nationalism.

She has also received from the Federacion International de Abogadas on November 16, 2001 the Esperanza Award for the cause of women, children and family.

Garcia’s remains lie in state at the Crystal Palace in Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu . —/RHM (FREEMAN)