The Divine Kingdom dwelling in us: in praise of Jesse Robredo

27 August, Monday

The “Kingdom of God dwelling in us” means “the poor are empowered, those not-heard-before have a voice”.  This was what Jesse Robredo (Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)) made possible with his work in government, according to Sr. Sonia, a Cenacle nun and Zen teacher, this morning at Our Lady of Pentecost church.

First I heard he was missing, the plane he was on crashed into the sea.

Next that his body has been found.

oHmyGod!  (I seem to be saying this a bit more lately.) Upset at the confirmation of his death yet also unsurprised.  “A man that good would not live long,” ran unbidden through my mind.  The good die young, once again given an example.  (Salamat Lord, buhay pa at tuloy pa rin sa mission nya ang Dalai Lama, si Aung San Suu Kyi, si Obama…)

Thank God his body was recovered.  Finding the body is important for the living especially his loved ones and many Filipinos who love him for what he has done for them…us, for the country in terms of “developing capacities of local governments and communities” and, significantly,  for letting the usually taken for granted or those rendered mute in Philippine society be given importance, heard.

Pero sayang.  Sayang!  At a time we really need…the country needs him, has long needed a man…a server like him.

But now he has fallen, physically.  Down in the sea depths, was he?  Then brought up.

Foul play or not, it doesn’t matter much anymore, although if it is the former, truth has to be surfaced and justice needs to be served.  (For he did step on what Winnie Monsod described as “very important, very powerful toes” of rich landowners, illegal loggers, jueteng lords and elements that block his clean up of the government agency he headed to pave the way for the daang matuwid other government officials in power seem not to have trudged on as relentlessly as he did.)

It was his image on television that gave my flagging spirits a boost on the third wearying day of the last heavy monsoon rains which devastated Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces.

“What a great idea to put Jesse Robredo on TV at this time!”  I thought, feeling lighter seeing him in his light brown (I can’t really recall its exact color) jacket, sometimes texting on his cellphone (continuing to address concerns in the affected areas, host Arnold Clavio related).  Herbert Bautista sat beside him and explained why the flooded urban poor community in front of DeLos Santos Hospital still has no power.  I didn’t care much for the mayor of the city where I live though he’s not bad.  (I do like the plants, some of which are with attractive colors and interestingly-shaped leaves, growing on meter-high plant boxes on the island running the length of Roces Avenue.  What I don’t care for much are the logos bearing his initials HB inscribed every two meters on the sides of the painted concrete plant boxes.)

In another TV channel that Wednesday morning of the monsoons, was P-Noy in a dark-color jacket with his equally somber-color outfitted entourage (except for Mar Roxas I think in yellow but in spite of his bright clothes he didn’t present cheer either).  It is good to see P-Noy but in no time, in his uber-seriousness, he appeared as drab and uninspiring as the rest of his posse’s uniformly depressing to look at outfit.

Not Robredo.

In that GMA live telecast he hardly spoke or if he did I can’t remember what he said.  But just seeing him there was like a great treat that still-quite-rainy Wednesday morning.  His ordinary looks, the lighthearted air and the lack of self-importance about him effortlessly lifted my spirits.  I turned to my landlady: “Dito na muna tayo, Ate?” referring to remaining on the same channel.

That was the last I saw of him.  At the start of and during his term, and even before he occupied a national government seat, I only heard about his actions (these were few and far between for me who is often not that current with national and domestic affairs, and, too, his work was hardly publicized) — of the good effects of what he was doing, something about institutionalizing effective practices and having these replicated in other parts of the country.

I heard his work was recognized and given awards but these seemed to him to be mere bonuses for work well done.  He seemed not to live for the accolades, simply intent on doing what has to be done to make life better for the people he serves.

Asian Institute of Management (AIM) professor emeritus Edilberto C. de Jesus wrote that Robredo related to them at AIM a conversation he had with Aika, his oldest daughter, at a time he was barely two weeks as top man of DILG.  “Pop, how long will you stay in that job?”

He replied “I don’t know, for a week, for a month, for a year, but it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Robredo continued “because I believe I’m here…just to make a difference, given the kind of training and experience that I had.”

Robredo shared the private conversation he had with his daughters to his AIM audience, De Jesus related, because “…[H]opefully, we will always remember that we are given the opportunity to lead, not because of ourselves, but because people hope that we will be in the service of others.”

So he has fallen.  But the great, deep and keen loss that many of us Filipinos feel at his passing on, I would like to believe, will inspire in quite a number of us the need to serve (na walang hinihintay na kapalit) with dedication and integrity yet without sacrificing family life.

Aika, Robredo’s daughter, lightly related in an evening news program (the day the closed coffin bearing his body was paid homage to in his hometown Naga City), that her father really spent quality time with them so that when they see him going out there to serve other people they would not resent it.

If even in small ways where we find ourselves we could emulate how you lived your life at home and at work, Jesse Robredo, we would certainly make a difference.  THANK YOU for giving us a luminous and quintessentially inspiring example.

Note:  In a much earlier post, I mentioned the good showing he was making as head of the local governments agency early on in his term.  Pls. see “No longer taking bribes” https://workinprogresspinay.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/no-longer-taking-bribes/

References:

Edilberto C. de Jesus, “Jesse Robredo: making a difference” in Business Matters, Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 25, 2012, p. A13

Solita Collas-Monsod, “Wanted: full-blown inquiry into Jesse’s death” in Get Real, Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 25, 2012, p. A12