MALOLOS CITY—Bulacan joins the country in mourning the death of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo as Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado declared a day of prayer.
The governor also ordered that flags in the province be flown at half-mast in remembrance to the secretary who died in a plane crash off Masbate on Saturday.
“These are the least that we can do in paying our respects to Secretary Robredo,” the governor said.
Robredo’s body was recovered around 8:15 AM on Tuesday some 800 meters from the shore, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas announced shortly.
Alvarado said Robredo’s death is a big loss to the country especially to local government units.
He recounted that in the past two years, Robredo worked closely with the provincial government and other local government units in the province, especially during disaster.
“He always called me for updates so that he could brief the President of our situation in Bulacan,” Alvarado said noting that he was also in close contact with Robredo during and after the flooding spawned by the southwest monsoon in the province which was followed by typhoon Helen.
He also recounted that as mayors in the early 90s, he and Robredo were invited together by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for a brief study on governance in Germany.
For his part, Calumpit Mayor James De Jesus praised Robredo for his leadership at the DILG.
“He is my idol and is on the way of becoming the best DILG secretary ever. Its just said that he went home early.” De Jesus said.
The same was echoed by other local chief executives in the provinces especially Paombong Mayor Donato Marcos who is now the National President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).
Marcos said that he owed a lot to Robredo as the latter openly supported projects in his town including the recently inaugurated three-storey police office building.
For their part, Mayors Lorna Silverio of San Rafael and Feliciano Legazpi of Norzagaray also spoke highly of Robredo.
Silverio said the secretary served as an inspiration for her in governance.
“I hope the seed of his good governance will continue to flourish among servant leaders,” Silverio said.
Legazpi said that while he did not know Robredo personally, he still regarded him as a “good and approachable leader.”
