The commemoration of National Heroes Day today is especially significant. Another towering exemplar is added to our list of most revered Filipinos. The collective sense of loss in the death of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo proves beyond doubt that he is the people’s empowerment champion.
Robredo was the brilliant star that illuminated the dark skies of a nation deeply craving for unity and ethical values and leadership. He provided clarity, direction, stewardship and most important, hope, for empowerment and selfless public service, amid the discordant voices in the landscape of governance.
While our pro-people Constitution guaranteed our sovereign right “to reasonable and effective participation at all level of decision-making process, whether political, social or economic”, the right could not be delivered on a silver platter. Not in these islands of 7,100 where patronage politics is still allowed to prevail, with some leaders acting more like royalty and bypassing the essential respect for the right to be consulted especially in policies, programs and projects that impact our rights to life, health and a healthy environment.
Mechanisms had to be crafted to assure that the right is not trampled upon or taken for granted, especially by those mandated to serve the public. Thus, the Local Government Code and several environmental laws institutionalized multi-sectoral bodies like the Local Development Council for each local government unit and the Solid Waste Management Board, Air Shed Board, to mention a few, for the stakeholders to converge and jointly decide our present and our future. Local sectoral representation in the local sanggunian is another pathway by which the voices of the vulnerable sectors are heard, and hopefully, listened to.
Unfortunately, the importance and the benefits of such crucial collaboration and public participation are still largely unappreciated, especially by those molded in the traditional but-oh-so-irrelevant “control-and-rule” mindset.
Robredo was one of the few local chief executives in the country who not only complied with the requirements of the Law; he went beyond it. He sincerely believed that avenues for the voices of the people to be heeded to have to be in place. His trail-blazing initiatives invited and challenged constituents to be fully engaged in governance in the spaces that the Law provided and those which Robredo and the people of Naga City proved was possible, despite the absence of a national law. Examples are the people’s council crafted through an ordinance and the citizen’s charter, later institutionalized by RA 9485, the Anti-Red Tape Act.
What made him stand out was his unassuming, humble yet confident ways. He definitely was the opposite of those who cling to public office for selfish reasons. During the Re-imagine conference, held at the time when his tenure as DILG chief was the subject of speculation, he courteously but firmly told those who offered to help that he “can handle it, thank you”. “Pabayaan nyo lang ako” was what I remembered him distinctly saying.
What made Jesse Robredo unique was his stubborn belief in the capacity of Filipinos to reach greater heights. His programs such as the Seal of Good Housekeeping, Protocol for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Anti-EPAL issuance, and open and transparent governance would mean nothing if citizens miss out on opportunities to collaborate with and even hold accountable our government officials. Citizen action is the key. It is one of the meaningful ways that we honor Secretary Robredo’s legacy.
I am sure he understood and respected the decision of citizens in filing the cases involving the clearly illegal and ecologically destructive Cordova Reclamation Project. It was with a heavy heart that Secretary Robredo was included among the respondents, he being the agency chief, as the requests for investigation by the DILG, both the national and regional offices, acting as supervising office over the Governor, was not heeded.
We hope that DILG regional offices nationwide would now be more visible and active players in governance. One of the reasons why environmental laws are callously not implemented by LGUs is the absence of supervision by DILG over the former in ensuring their enforcement.
My fun and contemplative holiday at Siem Reap and the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat and other temples was shattered when John Menguito, the president of the University of Cebu Law Society, texted about the missing plane that Secretary Robredo was on. He knew that Jesse ranked the highest among the list of my most admired public officials. It was in the morning of my birthday, Aug. 21 that his body was found. It also happened to be the 29th death anniversary of another great hero, Ninoy Aquino.
I am thankful that the events I attended last week in Metro Manila gave me the chance to say goodbye to Secretary Robredo personally. He was truly a class by himself, an exemplary public servant and, as we now realize, the ideal husband and father fully committed not just to his country but to his family. He was a rare breed of a human whose sterling values and dreams for the country and our people we should continue to pursue.
GMA News through YouScooper Roland Garceron who recorded Secrretary Robredo’s speech on a mobile phone shared his final speech in the last public event in Cebu hours before the flight. Jesse’s stirring words in Pilipino should perhaps be embossed in each of our heart and mind, as follows:
“Marami po kaming umaasa na ang pagbabago sa bansang ito hindi lamang manggagaling sa mga taong may tungkulin at hinalal, kundi sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan na ang kanyang pananaw hindi lamang po sa pangkasalukuyan kundi para sa darating na panahon na ang mga tao, mga anak po nating umaasa na ang liwanag po ng bansang ito ay malapit nang makamit. Maraming salamat po muli, magpapaalam na po ako, maraming salamat.”
We will not fail you, Secretary Robredo.
Our nation is and always will be grateful to you and your family.