MANILA, August 21, 2012—Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo deserves to lie beside fallen heroes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani for his exemplary service to the country, according to retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz.
Cruz, who shared Robredo’s advocacy to abolish illegal Jueteng operations, said the former Naga City Mayor is a national hero in his own right for being one of the country’s few genuine public servants.
DILG secretary Jesse Robredo speaking before Church and civil leaders during a recent conference on Good Governance organized by the Archdiocese of Cebu.
“Secretary Robredo deserves to lie at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. He does not simply belong to Naga City, he belongs to the country,” Cruz said in an interview aired over radio DZBB.
Cruz said Robredo’s passing signals a great loss for the country, considering his successful eradication of Jueteng operations in Naga City, which earned for him a Ramon Magsaysay Award. Robredo’s vision on making the Philippines Jueteng-free is a larger than life mission he shares with the prelate.
Cruz said Robredo ought to be the kind of politician that the public should support during elections—credible, dedicated and humble.
“I hope the voting public learns the lesson of not voting based on name, wealth and popularity. I hope that eventually, the Filipinos will be wise voters,” he added.
Robredo’s body was found at about 8:15 a.m. this morning inside the fuselage of the small aircraft that he has boarded Saturday afternoon to go to Naga City from a public engagement in Cebu City.
The remains of the Secretary stayed underwater for more than two days before technical divers found the wreckage of the Piper Seneca plane 800 meters off the coast of Masbate City at 180 feet deep.
Government search and retrieval operations for the body of the pilot Capt. Jessup Bahinting and co-pilot Hshitiz Chand are still ongoing. (YouthPinoy)
