Nation bids final farewell to Robredo

NAGA CITY, Philippines – The late Interior and Local Government Jesse Robredo will be cremated today, Tuesday, August 28, with full state honors. Seven days ago, his body was found in the waters off Masbate following a tragic crash that shocked the nation.

President Benigno Aquino III and the Cabinet will lead the state funeral rites for Robredo, which will begin with a Mass at 10 am. After this, the President will confer on Robredo the Philippine Legion of Honor with the rank of Chief Commander (posthumous).

On the other hand, the city he helped build bids its final farewell through stories and remembrance. For in Naga, everybody has a Jesse Robredo story.

If everyone could deliver a eulogy to the city’s beloved mayor of 19 years, who knows how long it would take. On Sunday evening, August 26, the necrological services which were supposed to end here at 9 pm lasted until midnight.

Jaime Jacob, chair of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), remembered an instance when city officials were marching behind Robredo on the streets of Naga. The new mayor wanted everybody involved in the city’s clean-up drive.

To set an example, Robredo gathered with his bare hands dried leaves scattered on the streets. But he got more than what he bargained for. Jacob narrated how Robredo got his hands to – in his words – a sticky “calamay” (rice cake, a local delicacy). Naga residents at the necrological services Sunday night got the metaphor and burst into laughter.

Elizabeth Jimenez thanked Robredo for giving her a job at the city hospital in 1991. She named her son Jesse, also a godson of the late Secretary. She said her son has inclinations to someday join politics. “Hopefully, maging katulad siya ng ninong niya. He’s a very good man. He will greet you even if you’re just a regular person. He has no airs, ” she told Rappler.

Simplicity

Youth volunteer worker Raffy Magno found it amusing that Robredo always served them the same snack during their meetings: maruya (banana fritters) and siopao. “Even if I had gotten tired of eating maruya and siopao in those meetings, it felt OK. We understood since he was a simple man,” he said in a eulogy. Above all, Magno said Robredo was unlike so many politicians; “Hindi siya epal,” he said. Epal refers to politicians fond of announcing their projects through posters and billboards.

Liza Compuesto will not forget how Robredo helped her parents and her siblings. She had already migrated to Camarines Sur, but she took a 5-hour bus ride to this city to pay her last respects. “We’re very sad. He was a great help to my parents and siblings,” Compuesto said.

Antonio Pontejos Jr remembered witnessing Robredo’s devotion to the Lady of Peñafrancia. “He was really a devotee, like the devotees of the Nazarene of Quiapo. He would join the procession no matter what it took,” he narrated in Filipino.

The Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia was packed on Monday, August 27, for the last day of the wake.

Residents said it felt like the Peñafrancia festival, which Robredo regularly attended as a devotee. Except that the celebratory mood that accompanied a big crowd would fade once residents got inside the church and came face to face with Robredo’s casket.

The Peñafrancia festival is on September 7. Robredo’s fellow devotees say it won’t be the same without him.

Yellow shirts

Robredo’s body has made several flights in the past week. Coming from Masbate, it was flown to Naga Wednesday last week, to Malacañang on Friday, and then back to Naga on Sunday. Each time, residents filled up the streets to pay respect.

The city has turned into a sea of yellow. In every corner, one would see residents  wearing yellow shirts painted with Robredo’s face and the words “Mabalos, Jesse” or “Proud Nagueño.” Various stalls around the city sell these shirts for P150. The city hall also offered free T-shirt printing. Residents only needed to bring their shirts there.There are pins and fans, too.

The Nagueños are a proud people. Proud of the city’s accomplishments and proud of Robredo. Printed in the yellow T-shirts are the words “Thank you, Jesse” or “Proud Nagueño.”

They hope other leaders would follow in his footsteps, but acknowledge he’s a tough act to follow.

Robredo assumed office when Naga City was a third class city in debt. Almost overnight, Robredo turned it around into a booming first-class city that international organizations recognize as a model for other cities worldwide.

As Sen Joker Arroyo, who also hails from this city, put it, Robredo’s accomplishments are difficult to equal. He ended the city’s budget deficit, institutionalized people’s participation in governance, eradicated illegal activities such as the illegal numbers game jueteng, and allowed public access to documents on government transactions.

Mayor John Bongat has vowed to continue his fight for good governance. But some residents worry. Already, there are reports that jueteng has resumed in a barangay in this city. – Rappler.com

 

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• [VLOG] Carmela Fonbuena: Robredo’s last day in Naga
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• The day Naga found out Robredo died
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• PNoy’s promises to Robredo’s wife