Jesse Robredo, VP Leni's late husband, was Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), at the time of his death in a plane crash on August 18.
In life, Sec. Jesse was a highly-regarded, multi-awarded public servant, and an internationally recognized expert in local governance. As mayor of Naga City for 18 years, he transformed this once-lethargic city into a premier metropolis in the Bicol region (the Asia Foundation, 2012).
Many people today remember Sec. Jesse as the leader who championed participatory governance, better known as "tsinelas leadership,” because he wore tsinelas (slippers) in public often.
 |
| Painting by Mark Anthony Taduran |
This is no surprise. Long before the demise of Sec. Jesse, VP Leni worked to support her husband's concerns—as a legal adviser to the poor, pro-bono, and a helping hand to the marginalized (immediately during natural calamities).
When she was elected VP, she put her office to work through her Angat Buhay (improved life) program, providing assistance for pandemic urgent needs and to disaster victims even in remote areas. These she had been able to accomplish in partnership with private enterprises who trusted her with their resources.
Clad in PINK (the color of hope and the symbol of a rosy future), those of us who support her vision for this country walk with her.
Like Sec. Jesse, we walk on slippers (PINK) with VP Leni, so our land will embrace hope after the May elections.
Alas, we might have lost our way and have fallen into a filthy pit of rude language, revolting behavior, and rancid values over the last few years, but if we scramble up then walk . . . and walk . . . and walk on PINK, one step at a time by grace through faith, we will find our way again towards a governance that will listen to our voices and allow us to participate.
"Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:6 ESV)
No comments:
Post a Comment