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MANILA, Philippines – It’s almost a year since Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo died in a plane crash, and President Benigno Aquino III is still full of regrets.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, Aquino paid tribute to perhaps his most well-loved Cabinet secretary.
The President said he blamed himself for Robredo’s death: “Apart from grieving, I could not avoid blaming myself for what happened to Jesse. Maybe if I had not asked him to join my Cabinet, he would still be alive today. Maybe if he had remained in Naga, he would still be with us. Maybe there would still be a Jesse Robredo in public service today.”
Aquino said Robredo’s track record in leading Naga City out of poverty served as inspiration to public servants.
“For almost two decades, he served and led Naga with skill, compassion, and humility. These principles of his are the exact reasons we borrowed him from Congresswoman Leni and their three children, and from the Nagueños, so that he could become part of our Cabinet,” Aquino said.
“This is why one of the hardest things I ever had to do as President was to deliver the news to Leni, after the tragedy,” he added.
Leni is now the representative of Camarines Sur’s 3rd district, defeating the matriarch of the well-entrenched Villafuerte political clan.
Jesse Robredo was a multi-awarded politician and civil servant. He served as mayor of Naga City from 1988 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2010.
He was a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service. This is one among the 140 awards and citations he received.
READ: Jesse Robredo’s journey back home
He was appointed secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in 2010, but was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments until he died.
On August 18, 2012, Robredo’s plane crashed off the shores of Masbate Island. After 3 days of extensive search operations, his body was retrieved, along with that of his pilot. News of his untimely death shocked the whole nation. – Rappler.com
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