PALACE IN NO HURRY TO NAME DILG CHIEF / JESSE
LIVED A FULL LIFE - WIFE
[PHOTO - SALUTE TO JESSE: Firefighters of the
Bureau of Fire Protection perform a 'water salute' as the hearse of DILG
Secretary Jesse Robredo passes Roxas Boulevard yesterday. VAL RODRIGUEZ]
MANILA, AUGUST 25, 2012 (PHILSTAR) There is no urgent need to look for
a replacement for the late Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse
Robredo, Malacañang said yesterday.
"Right now, we're in a period of mourning, I don't know if it's the right
time to discuss that," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. "I think it
is best to wait until the period of mourning is over."
There is no administrative problem since Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa
Jr. is serving as officer-in-charge and will continue the reforms implemented by
Robredo, Lacierda said.
He said President Aquino must be given time to choose since Robredo was a
personal friend and comrade from the Liberal Party.
[PHOTO -Jesse M. Robredo (May 27, 1958-Aug 16, 2012) Ateneo de Naga
HS'74 Mayor of Naga City (1988-1997, 2000-2010) Interior and Local Government
Secretary, Republic of the Philippines]
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Edgardo Angara also agreed
that there is no urgent need to choose the next DILG chief.
"I don't really think there is too much urgency in appointing a new SILG
(Secretary of Interior and Local Government). The bureaucracy will move even
with just one in an acting capacity. It's best that President Aquino chooses
well," Sotto said.
Sotto, however, was unable to hide his preference this early.
"In my opinion, Vice President (Jejomar Binay) would be a good choice," Sotto
said.
Sotto is chairman of the Commission on Appointments subcommittee on local
government that was unable to act on the confirmation of Robredo.
Robredo was supposed to face the CA last Aug. 15 but it was postponed to
allow for the necrological services for the late Sorsogon Rep. Sonny Escudero.
The hearing was supposed to have been rescheduled on Aug. 22 but Robredo said
he had a prior appointment.
His death on Aug. 18 preempted his CA confirmation supposedly set on Aug. 29
next week.
For his part, Angara said the new DILG secretary would likely come from the
administration Liberal Party.
"It is an important portfolio since it has control over the local government
as well as the national police, so it's very pivotal. It's like national
defense. Naturally, he (President Aquino) will appoint one that he fully trusts,
naturally it would come from Liberal Party," Angara said.
Angara said the role of the next DILG chief would also be critical in the
elections next year.
Asked if Sen. Panfilo Lacson would be qualified, Angara said he does not want
to comment.
"I am just looking at it from his (Aquino's) point of view and from the point
of his party because he is the chairman of his party, and he has to support his
constituency," Angara said.
On the other hand, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim declared he is not interested in
the DILG post.
Lim said he would rather continue serving Manila residents who had given him
an overwhelming mandate in the past two elections and continue to shower him
with their support.
He said it is highly unethical and in very bad taste to discuss matters such
as Robredo's possible replacement when the nation is still mourning his death.
Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay urged Aquino to carefully select Robredo's
replacement as DILG chief.
Magsaysay said the May 2013 elections would test the new DILG secretary as he
or she must remain impartial.
"There have been reports that several groups have already been lobbying for
the position but I ask the President to appoint somebody who will not be swayed
by politics so that the 2013 election can proceed smoothly," she added. – Aurea Calica, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz, Sandy
Araneta, Rey Galupo
Jesse lived a full life, says Robredo widow By
Cecille Suerte Felipe (The Philippine Star) Updated August 25, 2012 12:00
AMComments (0)
[PHOTO -AIKA Robredo, the eldest child of Jesse Robredo]
MANILA, Philippines - The widow of Interior and Local Government Secretary
Jesse Robredo said she didn't question God on the sudden death of her husband.
Ma. Leonor "Leni" Robredo, a lawyer, said her husband had always been
appreciative of all the blessings God gave him and his family.
"He lived a full life… he was prepared to face the Lord," she said, adding
that her husband always said that he had no more dreams for himself but only for
their three daughters – Jessica Marie, 24, Janine Patricia, 18 and Jillian
Therese, 12.
The Sunday before the plane crash, Leni said she and her husband had their
usual and cheerful conversation in their car at the Naga airport waiting for his
plane to arrive.
She said her husband would always express gratitude for the good things that
have happened to him which he never even dreamed of.
[PHOTO -Mrs. Leni Robredo recounts her husband's last
words]
However, she admitted that the death of the interior secretary was tragic and
his loved ones were not prepared for it.
"I know he is well prepared to face the Lord, that's why I didn't even
question God for taking him away," she said, adding that her husband went to
confession at least three or four times a month.
Leni said her husband admired President Aquino and his fellow Cabinet members
for their sensibility and dedication to public service and was very hopeful that
the Aquino administration would lead the country on the "tamang daan (rightful
path)" and to a better future.
"He had a lot of frustrations... but he was very hopeful something good will
happen (in the country). He said the important thing is we have a sensible
president and since our President is sensible, he was very hopeful that things
will fall into place," said Leni.
She said she thought her husband was the most hardworking member of the
Cabinet, knowing his work ethic, but the interior secretary only had good words
for his co-workers.
"He was telling me that (Social Welfare Secretary) Dinky (Soliman) is very
industrious. I asked him masipag pa sa iyo (even more than you)? He said yes, at
least I have a weekend, she doesn't have one," Leni said.
She said her husband believed no one was indispensable and there are many
other people with talents and love for country who have yet to be tapped.
[Photo -Leni Robredo (right), wife of the late Interior Minister Jesse
Robredo, with their daughters at his wake at the Archbishop's Palace in Naga
City, Camarines Sur province.]
She hoped that whoever replaces her husband must share the same vision for
the DILG and continue what he started.
Darling of the media
In Bicol, media practitioners grieving the passing of the interior secretary
unanimously called him the "darling of the media."
"He never says no to an interview, or even invitation to a personal occasion
of a reporter, as long as his time permits. And mind you, if immediately he does
not have, he will make one. And whenever you talk to him, you would feel he is
taking you seriously," Floreño Solmirano, who has covered Robredo for a long
time, told The STAR.
Hermogenes Alegre, a former politician and now Albay chapter president of the
Kapisasan ng mga Broadcaster ng Pilipinas, said Robredo's attitude toward the
media earned him the reputation.
Devotees of Our Lady of Peñafrancia prayed for Robredo's safety after they
learned of the plane crash, hoping that a miracle would save their well-loved
former mayor.
Robredo was a devotee of the Lady of Peñafrancia, whom Nagueños fondly call
"Ina," since he was 16 year old.
"He joined the translacion and the fluvial procession and taught us the
devotion, which has become a part of the family," Leni said.
Robredo belonged to the Guardias de Maria, a select group of devotees who
have their own distinct medallion.
Devotees called him "POGI," an acronym for Pamilya, Obligation, God and Ina.
'Great loss'
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and local executives nationwide
also joined the nation in expressing grief over the death of Robredo.
DOLE officials and employees vowed to continue the legacy of the late DILG
secretary by emulating his public service.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Robredo supported the DOLE's anti-child
labor campaign and started a lot of reforms in local government. – Mayen Jaymalin, Jerry Botial, Cet Dematera, Celso Amo, Charlie
Lagasca
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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