Jesse Robredo — a modern-day Magsaysay

This article was published on the Filipino Reporter, a content partner of GMA News Online.  I’ll write something I have not written before.

 

I will praise President Benigno Aquino III.

 

I will laud Mr. Aquino for the manner he looked after his subordinate, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo and the family he left behind, from the time the grim news of the sec’s airplane crash up to interment day.

 

Twelve days in the life of a nation’s president, who virtually did nothing else, but paid close attention to his departed subordinate and appointed a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

 

From supervising the search and rescue operation, to retrieval; to flying personally to the family twice, to inform and update them of the search, and on second time, to inform them of the sad news; to declaring six days of national mourning; to ordering flying of flags at half-mast; to offering a state funeral at Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) to the family who politely refused; to personally overseeing preparations for the transport and arrival of the corpse for two days of wake in the presidential palace and its return trip to Naga City; and for attending the interment.

 

Above all, I praise this President’s order to his Communications Department to cover all wake and interment activities by live stream so they could be seen by Filipinos everywhere around the world on the Internet.

 

I watched them daily last week from my study room in New Jersey.

 

I don’t know if such attention and kindness were routine for this president to do.

 

Perhaps, there was some self reproach because of evident misjudgment on the ability of Secretary Robredo to lead his department as evidenced by non-confirmation (up to his death) of the secretary’s appointment, by the Commission on Appointments, which, the President could have swayed had he used his influence over its members.

 

Or remorse, for not mentioning Secretary Robredo’s name when, one by one, Mr. Aquino praised members of his cabinet during his latest State of the Nation Address last July.

 

All those are water under the bridge.

 

Be those reasons as they may, still, I will commend the Commander-in-Chief for the utmost care he showed to the Robredos and to the countless Filipinos who poured out their love and sympathy for the departed cabinet member.  

  

The extraordinary show of love by Filipinos from all walks of life to Secretary Robredo and the family he left behind was beyond one’s imagination nor expectation.

 

It only pointed out to one thing: that the late public servant walked the talk.

 

That he did the right things.

 

That he served quietly, but effectively, and without a communications unit to publicize his deeds.

 

I would conclude that Secretary Robredo is the Philippines’ modern-day Ramon Magsaysay, the well-loved 7th President of the Philippines referred to in the native country’s history as “man of the masses,” who, like Robredo, also died of airplane crash in 1957.

 

(Ironically, the late Sec. Robredo received Asia’s counterpart of Europe’s Nobel Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000 after three terms as mayor of Naga City.)

 

According to news accounts about Sec. Robredo and my memory of the late President Magsaysay, the two were similar in many ways, especially in humility and in advocacy of simple living.

 

Both practiced servant leadership.

 

Both wore slippers (tsinelas) as they visited their constituents in the barrios.

 

Both paid genuine attention to the needs of the masses.

 

Both gave true meaning to public position as a position of public trust.

 

Both died in the prime of their usefulness to society: Magsaysay was 50, Robredo was 54.

 

***

Now, about the fine women Sec. Robredo left behind.

 

The grace, dignity and simplicity of appearance of the three Robredo daughters (Aiko, Tricia and Jillian) and his wife (Atty. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo) as seen by us on television and computer during the entire week of celebrating the life of Secretary Jesse Robredo in Manila and in Naga showed us how the family was reared and shaped by the late model public servant and family man.

 

One way to remember this man is, as correctly proposed by a genuine Nagaeno, Fiorel Salvo, (Naga born but now lives in New Jersey) to the Naga City Council, is to erect a monument of the late secretary in front of Naga City Hall, which Sec. Robredo served as mayor for three consecutive terms.

 

Or the establishment of an award by a private entity in the native country to be called the Jesse M. Robredo Award, which shall be given to Filipinos who will emulate the practice and character of the late public servant.

 

Indeed, a person’s societal value shows at the time of death.

 

This was witnessed in the Philippines when President Ramon Magsaysay, Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Jaime Cardinal Sin, President Cory Aquino, and most recently, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo left their beloved country and people.

 

***

Now that the widely-loved Secretary Jesse M. Robredo had been laid to rest, there is one piece of information, I consider important, that I failed to write last week because I did not know then.

 

I’d like to share it with our readers now with modesty.

 

My good friend, Sonny Aguiling, informed us that the late secretary and his wife, Atty. Leni Robredo, were active members of Couples for Christ (CFC).

 

This was later confirmed by a written statement from the International Council of CFC in Manila.

 

In fact, Bro. Jesse (that’s how we address fellow CFC male members) used to be a coordinator of youth for Christ or YFC in Naga, one of the family ministries of CFC.

 

I’m proud to know that, being a coordinator myself of Servants of the Lord (SOLD) in New Jersey, another CFC family ministry composed of single men over 40 who are supposed to be matured. (LOL!)

 

As I always joke, we are called SOLD for short, but we are all for sale.

 

Unlike Bro. Jesse, though, I don’t go to confession two to three times a month, as revealed by his wife in an interview.

 

Seriously, this CFC membership of the Robredos partly explains to me the character that Bro. Jesse manifested as a loving father and husband, as well as a public servant, shaped and guided by faithfulness to God.

 

Even the refined behavior of the children that we saw on television were “very much CFC.”

 

(There is a culture of distinct behavior in CFC. But, I must admit after eight years as member, I’m still trying to adapt totally to its beautiful culture. As the song goes, “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble...”) - Filipino Reporter