Inspiration from a servant mayor

FACES in the long queue at the wake of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo at his hometown Naga City spoke of sadness over their loss and respect for a man who served them well. In Manila, people not only lined up on the side of the streets but even the usually aggressive motorists of the capital’s chaotic roads gave way to the cortege that carried Robredo to Malacanang for the state funeral. These, so much more than the flattering words said and written of the late Cabinet member, pronounce the reverence with which the Filipino nation holds Robredo, a poster boy for the kind of good governance that the people have long been aspiring for.

Robredo, who worked for two decades – which is almost half his young life tragically ended by a plane crash at age 54 – as mayor of Naga before being called by the President to serve as DILG secretary was the kind of public official worthy of emulation by Pangasinan mayors. His many years as a local politician did not turn him into a trapo. Instead, he remained a principled yet pragmatic government official, the fresh blood that is so lacking in Philippine politics. Neither was he the showbiz-type of leader, flaunting his authority and brandishing his power. Instead, he remained as humble and simple as can be.

As DILG chief, Robredo introduced major reforms to local governance, a task that could not have been easy considering the predominant Filipino-style fiefdoms where patronage politics rules. And his initiatives are barely halfway realized. Many say he is irreplaceable but Filipinos are hopeful that his death will not mean the end of the toil for accountability, transparency and results-oriented public management.

Mayors in Pangasinan can take inspiration in the outpouring of love and admiration that Robredo received in death because he lived a life of true public service.

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Robredo

WHEN a person dies, his life usually becomes an open book; almost, only all the good things about him come into surface.  Every eulogy will attest to that.

A saying goes that in every bad person, there is also good in his heart; always, there is good and there is bad in every one.

We say this again in the wake of Jesse Robredo’s passing. Surely, from what can be gleaned from tributes appearing in the papers and spoken about the late DILG secretary, who tragically perished in a plane crash off the Masbate seas, he was an exemplary citizen, a model of good governance worthy of emulation. But until his death on August 18 at age 54, the nation practically knew not much about how great a man Robredo was.

For now, we elect to put aside whatever was Jesse’s bad side; we insist it was but inconsequential, and for sure, it was far outweighed by the good side in him.

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