DOLE laments losing one of its ‘greatest generals’ in fight vs child labor, human trafficking

Presidential Security Group carries the casket bearing the remains of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to the Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace during the arrival honors Friday. JAY MORALES/Malacañang Photo Bureau

MANILA, Philippines—As the nation mourns the death of well-loved Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, the Department of Labor and Employment said it has lost one of its “greatest generals” in the fight against child labor and human trafficking in the country.

In a statement on Friday, the DOLE and the agencies under it said they were one with the nation in mourning the passing of Robredo, who was killed in a plane crash off the waters of Masbate on Saturday after the aircraft reportedly encountered engine trouble.

The DOLE described Robredo as a “friend of labor” and of the agency even before he was appointed to the top DILG post.

“A loving father not only to his very own offspring, but also to all Filipino children, the good Secretary Robredo has expressed his support for the DOLE’s fight against the menace of child labor,” it said, adding that the late interior secretary had felt the compelling need to end the hazardous and worst forms of child labor endangering the lives of three million Filipino children.

Through the country’s local government units, Robredo had also partnered with the DOLE to wipe out all forms of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.  “With his passing, the fight just lost one of its greatest generals,” it said.

But the DOLE vowed to support his vision and continue his legacy “by emulating the kind of public servant that he was.”

In expressing its sympathies to Robredo’s bereaved family, the DOLE also highlighted Robredo’s works and greatest contributions to the agency.

It said, Robredo, as the mayor of Naga City, provided the building that now houses the Camarines Sur provincial office of the DOLE and its agencies, the Technical Skills and Development Authority and the National Labor Relations Commission.

Naga City, also under his watch, was the very first city in the country to institutionalize the Public Employment Service Office.

He was also one of the local government chief executives who lent support to the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program for informal sector workers such as street vendors and tricycle drivers, said the DOLE.

“It pains the heart that a life well lived such as his would be so short. A man of his caliber, a reformist untainted by corruption, is not easy to find these days. Ever believing that the government can inspire transformation, he started a lot of reforms in local government. The epitome of an honest public servant, he worked tirelessly for an effective, efficient, and empowered local government upholding transparency and accountability,” read the statement.

It continued, “Above all, he inspired the country’s army of public servants with his love for the country and service to the people that to him naturally came first before anything else.”