Robredo, a well-loved, exemplary public official

Jesse Manalastas Robredo was a visionary, a poster boy for good governance, and with a non-traditional approach in government. The “good and decent” public servant was credited with transforming Naga City and reenergizing the government there. He received the highest honors – the Ramon Magsaysay Awards for Government Service – Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize. When he was mayor, Robredo run Naga City like a CEO turning around a bankrupt company. His appointment to the DILG – a very political agency – gave him the opportunity to make a difference on a national scale. He is very hands-on, they say. He doesn’t just deal with the top brass. He visits the ground to check that his programs are working. He had a charisma that endeared him to the common man. He has no airs, often wore slippers, shorts, white shirt, and helped sweep the streets or cleaning up the drainage days after a typhoon, and rode his bike to get around. Robredo was also incredibly close to his family, always making time for his family, despite a tough schedule. He was on his way to Naga City from Cebu City on board a chartered plane when they crashed off Masbate on August 18.

Read and watch obituary and profile stories on Robredo on Rappler.