Robredo remembered by family, friends

MANILA, Philippines - The late interior secretary and former Naga City mayor Jesse Robredo was remembered Thursday night by his family and friends led by President Aquino.

The President described the late Cabinet official as a no-nonsense politician who managed to get things done, even those tasks that seemed impossible for some.

Robredo died in a plane crash off Masbate on Aug. 18 of last year.

“Isn’t that when it is Jesse speaking, there’s no effort to earn brownie points, fooling around and wasting of time. Aside from his words being sensible, he was also ready to listen to and respect what the others are saying,” Aquino said during the tribute at Club Filipino in San Juan City that was also attended by Robredo’s widow and three daughters.

“We all know that Jesse did not come from AIM. That’s the group that we call, ‘Ayaw Iwanan yung Mic’ (never letting go of the microphone when singing),” Aquino quipped.

Aquino cited the fact that in Naga City, Robredo succeeded in relocating informal settlers and stopped illegal gambling, problems that seemed too difficult for other government officials to solve.

He said Robredo, as interior and local government secretary, also dealt with problems hands on and even led dialogues with informal settlers to personally determine their concerns.

The President said there were many things he wanted to share but did not want to speak for an hour and 40 minutes, apparently referring to his lengthy State of the Nation Address last month.

Aquino described Robredo as a good husband, father and public servant and it was truly regrettable that he was gone too soon.

But he stressed the life of Robredo and the things that he started must serve as an inspiration to people, especially government officials.

Aquino vowed to make the transformation that Robredo envisioned a reality.

Robredo faced a lot of trials, Aquino said, and was slapped with various cases by the previous administration but did not relent.

Robredo chose to stay in public service instead of just thinking about himself and joining the private sector to become wealthy, Aquino said.

But one of the extraordinary traits of Robredo was his humility, and he was also willing to share his knowledge with others always.

In fact, Aquino said, it was Robredo who advised him to approach everyone when campaigning for a public position.

Aquino admitted he still had survivor’s guilt and would not want to lose another good man like Robredo in the Cabinet.

He said it was hard to be a bearer of bad news, especially since he did not know the widow of Robredo, lawyer Maria Leonor or Leni, who was elected representative of the third congressional district of Camarines Sur last May.

Robredo kept his wife and children away from the public eye.

Aquino said it was embarrassing that instead of Robredo’s family getting strength from them during trying times, it was they who derived inspiration from the secretary’s life.