Jesse Robredo | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2010 | |
| 23rdSecretary of the Interior and Local Government | |
| In office July 9, 2010 – August 18, 2012 | |
| President | Benigno S. Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Benigno S. Aquino III(Acting in Concurrent Capacity) |
| Succeeded by | Paquito Ochoa(Acting) |
| 13th & 15thMayor ofNaga | |
| In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010 | |
| Vice Mayor | Esteban Abonal (2001–2004) Gabriel Bordado (2004–2010) |
| Preceded by | Sulpicio Roco |
| Succeeded by | John Bongat |
| In office February 2, 1988 – June 30, 1998 | |
| Vice Mayor | Lourdes Asence |
| Preceded by | Carlos Del Castillo |
| Succeeded by | Sulpicio Roco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jesus Manalastas Robredo (1958-05-27)May 27, 1958 Naga, Camarines Sur, Philippines |
| Died | August 18, 2012(2012-08-18) (aged 54) Masbate Island, Philippines |
| Cause of death | Airplane crash |
| Resting place | Eternal Gardens Memorial Park, Naga, Camarines Sur |
| Party | Liberal (2001–2012) |
| Other political affiliations | Aksyon (1998–2001) Lakas (1991–1998) LDP (1988–1991) LnB (1988) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingTricia |
| Relatives | Butch Robredo (brother) |
| Education | De La Salle University(BS) Harvard University(MPA) University of the Philippines, Diliman(MBA) |
Jesus "Jesse" Manalastas RobredoQSCCCLH (Tagalog:[ˈdʒɛsiɾɔˈbɾɛdɔ];Chinese:林炳智;pinyin:Lín Bǐngzhì;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Lîm Péng-tì; May 27, 1958 – August 18, 2012)[1][2] was aFilipino politician who served as 23rdSecretary of the Interior and Local Government in the administration ofPresidentBenigno Aquino III from 2010 until hisdeath in 2012.[3] Robredo was a member of theLiberal Party.
Beginning in 1988, Robredo served six terms as Mayor ofNaga inCamarines Sur.[4] In recognition of his achievements as Naga mayor, Robredo was awarded theRamon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000, the first Filipino mayor so honored. He was appointed to the Cabinet of President Aquino in July 2010.[3]
Robredo died on August 18, 2012, when the light aircraft he was traveling incrashed off the coast ofMasbate after suffering an engine failure.
Jesse Manalastas Robredo was born on May 27, 1958, inNaga to José Chan Robredo Sr. and Marcelina Manalastas-Robredo. Jesse is ofChinese descent through his paternal grandfather, Lim Pay Co, who immigrated to the Philippines fromFujian province at the beginning of the 20th century and adopted the surname of the priest who baptized him, thus becoming Juan Lim Robredo.[5] Jesse'sHokkien Chinese name is Lim Pieng Ti.[6] He has one brother and three sisters.
Robredo finished elementary at the Naga Parochial School and entered high school at theAteneo de Naga University in 1970. Robredo obtained his undergraduate degrees inIndustrial Management Engineering andMechanical Engineering atDe La Salle University. In 1985, Robredo finished hisMasters in Business Administration at theUniversity of the Philippines, Diliman as a scholar and was named the Graduate School and Faculty Organization awardee for scholarly excellence.[7] He was later accepted as an Edward Mason Fellow and graduated with aMaster of Public Administration degree from Harvard University'sJohn F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999. TheFar Eastern University bestowed Robredo with a Doctorate in Humanities,honoris causa, during its 80th commencement exercise on April 4, 2008, in recognition of his efforts to develop Naga.[8]
In 1986, Robredo returned to Naga, where he became program director of the Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP), an agency tasked to undertake integrated area development planning in the three provinces of the Bicol region. While working at the BRBDP, he met fellow NagueñoLeni Gerona, whom he would marry the following year.[9][10]
In the1988 Philippine local elections, Robredo was elected mayor of Naga at age 29,[11] making him the youngest person who was elected mayor in the vote.[12] His entry to politics was influenced by his uncle, then-Camarines Sur governorLuis Villafuerte. However, the two fell out in 1992 following allegations of corruption andjueteng involving the Villafuertes, which led to Villafuerte disowning Robredo.[13] In 1995, Robredo was elected president of theLeague of Cities of the Philippines and chaired the Metro Naga Development Council."[7] His three terms as mayor ended on June 30, 1998, and was succeeded by Robredo's endorsed candidate Sulpicio S. Roco, Jr.[14][15] In 1999,Asiaweek Magazine credited Robredo with transforming Naga into one of the "Most Improved" cities in Asia.[16]
He re-elected as city mayor in 2001 and again served for three consecutive terms until June 30, 2010.[14] He served for a total of 19 years as mayor of Naga before being appointed as secretary of theDepartment of the Interior and Local Government on July 9, 2010.[3]
Robredo's appointment was met with political opposition. Luis Villafurte and another Bicolano politician,Luis Agregado Ortega, expressed opposition to Robredo's confirmation by theCommission on Appointments of which Villafuerte himself was a member.[17] In March 2012, the Commission on Appointments bypassed Robredo's nomination.[18] His nomination was bypassed again in June 2012.[19] Another confirmation hearing had reportedly been set on August 29, 2012, eleven days after Robredo's death.[20]
During his time as the secretary of DILG, Robredo focused on relocating thousands of residents inManila's slums into housing projects to clear Metro Manila's waterways and make way for flood mitigation projects and other development.[21] As head of an inter-agency body for relocation, Robredo pushed for the building of in-city tenement housing units for thousands of informal settler families living in identified "danger zones" such as estuaries, riverbanks, waterways, railroad tracks, garbage dumps and similar areas.[22][23] These contrasted with earlier government housing efforts, which relocated informal settlers to areas away from the city which deprived residents from their usual livelihoods.[24]
Robredo's opposition to forced evictions were met with resistance from some local government officials, notablyMakati mayorJunjun Binay, who argued that such arrangements broke long-standing agreements with private land owners and undermined the city government's authority.[25][24][26]
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Robredo died on August 18, 2012, when thePiper PA-34 Seneca light aircraft he was traveling in crashed off the coast ofMasbate Island. He was flying to Naga to assist in his daughter's swimming competition. The plane suffered an engine failure en route fromCebu City, and was attempting an emergency landing atMasbate Airport.[27] Robredo's aide, Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, was also on board but survived. Robredo's body was found on August 21, 800 meters (2,600 feet) from the shore and 54 meters (177 feet) below sea level.[28]
His funeral was held at the Archbishop's Palace inNaga before it was transferred toMalacañang Palace for an official wake on August 24, 2012. His remains were later brought back to his hometown of Naga and cremated at Naga Imperial Crematory and Columbary. Robredo's ashes are entombed at the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park in Naga.[29][30]
Following Robredo's death, August 18 was declared "Jesse Robredo Day".[31] President Benigno Aquino III conferred thePhilippine Legion of Honor with the rank of Chief Commander upon Robredo on August 28, 2012, just before the state funeral.[32][33] In addition, two roads were named in his honor, Sec. Jesse Robredo Avenue in Naga and Jesse M. Robredo Boulevard inMasbate City. The Naga City Coliseum was renamed into theJesse Robredo Coliseum, and the Naga City Governance Institute to the Jesse M. Robredo Good Governance Center.[34][35] In 2016, a major diversion road inKoronadal City was named as J.M. Robredo Avenue that was witnessed by his daughter, Tricia.[36] In 2017, the Museo ni Jesse Robredo opened in commemoration of his fifth death anniversary.[37]
His alma mater,De La Salle University, renamed the La Salle Institute of Governance into the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance.[38]
Robredo marriedpro bono lawyer and future congresswoman andvice presidentLeni Gerona on June 27, 1987.[39] They had three daughters[40] named: Jessica Marie "Aika",Janine Patricia "Tricia", and Jillian Therese.[41][42]
National Honors
:Quezon Service Cross - posthumous (2012)[43]
:Philippine Legion of Honor, Chief Commander - posthumous (2012)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carlos Del Castillo | Mayor ofNaga 1988–1998 | Succeeded by Sulpicio Roco |
| Preceded by Sulpicio Roco | Mayor ofNaga 2001–2010 | Succeeded by John Bongat |
| Preceded by | Secretary of the Interior and Local Government 2010–2012 | Succeeded by |
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| Chief Commander (Punong Komandante) |
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| Grand Commander (Marangal na Komandante) | |
| Grand Officer (Marangal na Pinuno) | |
| Commander (Komandante) | |
| Officer (Pinuno) | |
| Legionnaire (Lehiyonaryo) | |
| Life and politics | .jpg) | |
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| Vice Presidency | ||
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