Vancouver, B.C.
Retirement does not stop her from pursuing her advocacies
Charmaine Rodriguez
She may look all-feminine while wearing pink in her petite Filipina frame, but Treenee Lopez, 68, can carry a message that’s stronger and bigger than her persona.
A retired nurse in Canada, Lopez began her advocacies in 2011 after she attended the Global Filipino Diaspora Summit in Manila.
From then, she got involved in activities that stirred awareness of Canada-based Filipinos on issues like China’s claims on the West Philippine Sea, the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the war on drugs campaign of President Duterte and the latter’s push for the burial of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Why would she take herself out of the comforts of her retirement by getting involved in these community activities?
“I believe people need to think about these issues. Like the EJK, what if it happens to your family, your loved ones? It isn’t right. As a Filipino living abroad, it pains me to see our natural resources being taken advantage of by another country. Why aren’t we fighting for it while so many Filipinos live in poverty? That’s (resources) for our people. Tayong magsasaing, sila ang kakain? As a woman, I can’t help but feel compassion for my fellow Filipinos with all these injustices,” Lopez said told PCN in an interview in time for the celebration of International Women’s Day.
Aside from her heart, time and effort, Lopez admitted spending her own funds for some of these advocacies.
One time, she sponsored the flight and accommodation for IDefend spokesperson Ellecer Carlos’ speaking engagement in Vancouver just to make Filipinos here more aware about the campaign against Duterte’s war on drugs and the EJKs.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported that 4,948 suspected drug users and dealers died during police operations from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2018 under the Duterte administration. But this does not include the thousands of others killed by unidentified gunmen. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 22,983 such deaths since the “war on drugs” began are classified as “homicides under investigation,” according to Human Rights Watch.
“As a nurse, I have seen different types of pain experienced by people. I look at the situation and see how I can help. As women, we can still be as strong as steel by showing our strong stand against these issues,” she also said.
While advocating against China’s claims on the West Philippine Sea, Lopez found herself organizing rallies in front of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver.

Although she had always been a student leader since grade school, Lopez admitted that she was never the socially progressive type.
However, her travels around the world helped her become more aware of issues and opened her eyes to working on social change through community action.
After passing the nursing board in 1977, Lopez had the opportunity to become a youth delegate of YMCA to the Biennial YMCA Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She learned independence when she traveled alone then at 24 years old.
Later, she came to Canada through the help of her sister, Terry Drexler, and found herself hurdling the nursing board exams and working in a foreign country.
She was later hired as a Registered Nurse at the Royal Columbian Hospital in British Columbia and worked there until her retirement.
A childhood passion in journalism—she was editor in chief of her school paper in grade school and associate editor in high school—brought her to society and community press work in British Columbia as well.
After establishing a network of news sources, she got a recommendation to attend the Global Diaspora Summit in Manila organized by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
She became part of the 24-member Global Filipino Diaspora Council representing different countries and cities around the world.
In 2012, the group had a summit in Rome and further solidified itself and even expanded to include European groups to campaign against China on the WSP issue.
They had synchronized prayer rallies, information sessions and discussions to promote public awareness worldwide.
When the arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea came out in 2016, Lopez said they felt victory in a David versus Goliath-type of battle.
The five-member international tribunal in The Hague released a 479-page decision which invalidated China’s claims over the entire South China Sea and recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights in areas within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
The fight of her life
Now she is into the political turmoil engulfing her motherland – the fight to elect Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangiinan in the coming May 2022 national elections and stop the Marcoses from coming back to power. Since Leni’s announcement to run, Lopez has been in the forefront of organizing the Canadian diaspora to support her and her team. She tirelessly taps her network of friends to come to rallies and caravans that is fuelling the Pink Revolution.
Her high profile involvement in the Leni campaign has earned her the ire of the Marcos and Duterte supporters who are trying to discredit and usurped her role.
But this woman is determined to push on and face whatever obstacles are put in her way – a true fighter in the best traditions of strong women.