Aika Robredo has become a household name

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 Until the fatal plane crash of her father, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Jessica Marie “Aika” Robredo has not been in the public eye. She appeared on national TV on the second day of the agonizing three-day wait—waiting for word on her father and his missing plane.

She had presence. She was composed, articulate, self-possessed for someone who was not used to the limelight and public speaking. She made sense beyond her 24 years.

The entire nation took notice.

The massive outpouring of public sympathy and support was what kept the Robredo family going through those dark moments after Robredo’s death in a plane crash off Masbate, his eldest daughter said Saturday.

Aika said the worst time for them were the hours and days when the body of her father still could not be found. However, the support the family received from relatives, friends and the public helped see them through the pain.

“The hardest was the first three days when we still did not know. While we were ready for it, you grieve for something that you didn’t know (for sure) or couldn’t understand,” Aika said in an interview.

“You’re thinking: ‘Wait a minute, why am I sad when it’s still not (confirmed?)’ but at the same time, you know at the back of your head, you knew na wala na talaga [it was over],” she said.

According to Aika, soon after the news broke that her father’s plane was missing, people started streaming into the family compound in Naga City and praying for his rescue.

“That was a big help for us because we realized how many people were actually praying for my dad’s safety. We were thinking that at least if he didn’t survive, with so many people praying for him, he would be in a better place either way,” she said.

The family members were really surprised when they later found out that even people from Mindanao had come to Naga to pay their respects.

“Our orientation ever since was that our Papa was someone who was just not ours. He was someone we shared with others,” she said.

Aika said she was watching a basketball game at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, between Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University that fateful afternoon of the plane crash.

“I got a text message from my mother that said, ‘Please call.’ I knew then that something was wrong because when my parents want something, they say ‘Do this … do that,’” she said.

“When I saw the message, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ When I called, my mother told me Papa’s plane could not be found,” she said.

Her mother asked her to tell her younger sister, Trisha, what happened because it would not be right “if she heard it from someone else.”

“I was panicky but my mom was telling me, ‘You know we can’t do anything. You just have to keep praying, praying and praying.’ And I had to face my sister so at least one of us should be calm,” she said.

Aika said she decided to personally break the sad news to her sister to make sure she would be okay.

“I couldn’t do it on the phone. I had to be careful about how she would react so I picked her up from the condo and I told her the news in the car,” she said.

“Afterward we went to the Mt. Carmel church (in Quezon City) to pray because that’s near our home,” she added.

According to Aika, in the first two days after the crash, they were just “letting things happen.”

“People were going to our house. My mom’s friends were there. The Naga City officials were there and the vigil was ongoing as if someone was orchestrating what to do next,” she said.

“Even the food that was being served was also brought by those who came to visit us. For at least the first three days, we were just letting things happen. We were not planning anything. We were not attending to anyone but everyone was there,” she added.

Aika said she told her younger sisters on the second night after the crash to prepare for the worst.

“I told them, you know, we should keep praying but we should be realistic. It’s been more than 24 hours and we still had no news. So while we still hope for the best, you have to manage your expectations,” Aika said.

She said her sisters were sad when she told them this.

“While it was still painful to see the actual steel box coming down from the plane because you know what was inside, maybe it would have been more difficult to accept and react if we hadn’t conditioned ourselves before that maybe that would be (the outcome),” she added.

Aika said it was her mother who was the strongest of all of them. She kept on reminding them that their father was now “in a happy place,” she said.

“She would say Papa is in a happy place and he’s peaceful. It’s okay being sad every now and then but if it stops you from doing what you were supposed to do, maybe even he might be unsettled by that. So, maybe it would be selfish on our part if we would become the reason why he would not be able to move on above,” Aika said.

Aika said there were no plans for anyone from the family to follow their father into politics.

“It should be the last thing in our heads right now. We haven’t talked about it yet but personally, I think it is unlikely for now,” she said.

“You know, even when he was in politics, we had our own lives. We’d only help out during elections, but after that, my mom would go back to her work. We are happy with what we’re doing now,” said the 24-year-old Aika who works for an international oil firm in Manila.

“It does not stop us from serving or doing our part. If the intention to go into politics is to serve, politics is not a requirement. You can serve in many other ways which is also what my father said,” Aika said.

Leni Robredo (Wife of Jesse Robredo) Eulogy on his husband; Jess truly a family man

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Robredo's daughter "Patricia" vows to continue his legacy

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NAGA CITY—Delivering a light and anecdote-filled response to tributes to her father on Sunday night, the second daughter of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo vowed to pursue his legacy, with statements that hinted at a career in politics in this city.

Patricia “Tricia” Robredo, 18, a premed student at Ateneo de Manila University, described her father as a family man first and then a responsible public official who rallied people to fight for good government by looking inside for the heroes within them.

“Sec, Mayor, Pogi, Bok, bright boy, Papa … it will not stop on Facebook, Twitter or TV our pledge to continue what you have started,” Tricia said at necrological rites for her father at City Hall here.

“I will be the one to take care of Mama,” she promised, drawing applause from the hundreds of mourners, including local officials, inside the main hall of the administrative building where her father was lying in state and hundreds more outside watching her on large screen monitors.

Will serve Naga

Tricia assured the mourners that they, the three daughters of Robredo, would return to Naga City to continue the legacy of their father once they have become successful professionals.

The Nagueños responded with an even louder and longer applause.

At the end of her 25-minute speech in Bicol, Tricia asked the mourners to stand up and salute her father, on whom had been heaped since he died profuse accolade and recognition for his work in public service and local government.

Jillian eyes stardom

Robredo died in a plane crash in Masbate province on August 18. He will be buried Tuesday, with President Benigno Aquino leading the ceremonies to give him state honors.

On the lighter side, Tricia said that after confirmation of their father’s death, her youngest sister Jillian, 13, asked their mother Leni how old Kris Aquino was when her father, Sen. Ninoy Aquino, died.

Tricia said Jillian also wanted to become a movie star like Kris Aquino, unlike her older sister Jessica Marie, whom she described as strong and smart, and herself, who was “shy, full of drama” but preferred to be alone.

Tricia said her father loved all his daughters, tutored them, and provided them with even the littlest of things, including tips on how to secure tickets to a basketball game.

Her father, Tricia said, was a loving husband who always had surprises for their mother. She recalled one instance when her father told her mother by phone that he was coming home to Naga from Manila the next day, when all the time he was already on a bus, together with his two daughters, traveling to Naga.

Unforgettable incident

Tricia recounted an incident that she described as unforgettable and it happened when her father was the mayor of Naga City. One day, she said, a couple came to their house, asking to be wed.

Her father was sick but did not say no. He wed the couple even though he was in his pajamas, barefoot and wired to an intravenous bottle.

Tricia said her father never said anything unpleasant about anyone, even when he was angry. When he was really angry, he bit his fingers to avoid letting out unkind words.

“He was angry with others but he vented it on himself,” she said.

Her father brushed aside dangers that came with his job in the government, she said. He kidded about them, she said, even his once narrowly escaping a bomb attack in Maguindanao.

Thanks to everyone

Tricia thanked the mourners for the prayers and moral support they had given to her family. She also thanked the fishermen and divers who helped to bring back her father’s body from the sea.

She said her family did not expect such outpouring of support, but was happy to know that many people loved her father.

Tricia said she hoped everyone would continue the legacy of her father, and to see a Robredo in everyone who cared for him.

Final rites for Jesse Robredo

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MANILA, Philippines—A man for everyone, that’s how the late Secretary Jesse Robredo was described by Fr. Kulandairaj Ambrose of the Missionaries of the Poor, one of the officiating priests in the recently ended concelebrated funeral Mass late Tuesday morning in Naga City.

“Secretary Robredo has time for everybody. He could take breakfast in Manila, lunch in Cebu and dinner in Naga. He was there for you. He was there for everyone,” Fr. Ambrose said in his homily.

The Jamaican priest said Robredo is a true friend and he had mixed emotions upon learning he was the one to officiate the funeral Mass. “If you feel the ground is shaking, it’s not because there’s an earthquake, it’s because my knees are shaking,” he said.

He enumerated the good deeds the late secretary shown as mayor of Naga.

“In his presence, we felt no worry, he gives hope to everybody,” he said.

In the end, he said Robredo died doing what he loved the most.

Tuesday marks the final day of national mourning for Robredo.

Based on a bulletin from the government official website, the Mass will be followed by the conferment of the Philippine Legion of Honor (posthumous) on Robredo to be followed by the eulogy of the President and the State Funeral proper

“The casket bearing the remains of Secretary Robredo will be escorted from the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia to the Funeraria Imperial. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police will render departure and arrival honors,” the bulletin said.

Eulogy of Jesse Robredo

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NAGA CITY—Eulogizing Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo on the final day of national mourning before his interment here on Tuesday, President Aquino said that the secretary had joined the pantheon of national heroes looking after his countrymen.

“Jesse is already in the ranks of heroes watching over us from heaven, and he is giving us the strength to continue with their good deeds. So let us stop weeping; instead, let us give thanks,” the President said in a speech delivered in Filipino that elicited repeated applause from the crowd at Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, where the concelebrated requiem Mass was held.

“For the brief time that he was here in this world, we were the ones blessed to be in the company of Jesse Manalastas Robredo,” said Mr. Aquino, who wore a black arm band as a sign of mourning.

“Goodbye, Jesse. In behalf of the nation, thank you very much,” the President concluded.

The funeral rites came 10 days after Robredo, 54, and the two pilots of a Piper Seneca died in a plane crash at sea in Masbate.

In his eulogy, Mr. Aquino summed up the gravity of Robredo’s death. “His family lost a husband and father; the nation lost a trustworthy and efficient leader; I lost a brother in the official family of the Cabinet who was an ally in our crusades, and a party mate. I lost a good friend,” he said.

Robredo had served for 19 years as mayor of this city before joining the Aquino administration in 2010.

‘Tsinelas people’

Fr. Kulandairaj Ambrose, Jamaican-based of the Missionaries of the Poor, who officiated the funeral Mass, declared Robredo a champion of the “tsinelas people,” referring to the poor, the abandoned, homeless, and neglected whom many considered  a “burden” on society.

Ambrose, a Jamaican missionary, was personally asked by Robredo’s widow, lawyer Maria Leonor “Leni,” to officiate the requiem Mass.

The priest said that Robredo had proven that the “Filipino is worth dying for,” borrowing the famous line of the President’s  father, slain Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.

“I am humble and honored to do this to a friend, a great man and a friend of the poor,” said the priest, who vowed to establish a free clinic for the poor “in his honor.”

Describing Robredo as a family man, a “man of the poor,” and a “God-fearing man,” Ambrose lamented that his wards would surely miss Robredo. “He was their father; they are his children,” said Ambrose.

“He was there even when we did not need him. You may call it a tsinelas friendship.”

Crowd like ‘Ina’ feast

The throng of mourners was so huge that more than a hectare grounds of the basilica and Magsaysay and Peñafrancia Avenues filled with  people, which only happens during the annual September processions of the image of the Virgin Mary, to whom Robredo was a devoted.

Two Marian processions are held every third Friday and Saturday of September in Naga City—the Traslacion on Friday and the fluvial procession the following day.

But on the interment of Robredo, all three recognizable landmarks of this city were filled with men and women in yellow, who also wore tsinelas or rubber slippers as tribute to the simplicity of Robredo.

Thousands of Camarines Sur residents converged in Naga, mindless of the searing heat.

‘Voyadores’

The size of the crowd on the streets was comparable to the crowd that would gather every “traslacion” or fluvial  procession.

Some of the men donned the trimmings of the “voyadores,” or men who carry the Virgin Mary during the processions. They wear yellow headbands. Voyadores also wear headbands of different colors from red to blue during the Peñafrancia fiesta.

But unlike the voyadores who walk barefoot, most of the men wore slippers.

It was different, too, from the traslacion and the fluvial procession since many women came. Women are not allowed to join the main procession every September and can only trail the men.

Lea Marcelo, a teacher from Pili, Camarines Sur, who lined up with thousands of people as the bier of the late secretary was moving out of the compound of the basilica, was among those who described the funeral as “phenomenal one fit for a hero.”

“This is a manifestation of the greatest love for our secretary,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer as the cortege moved in slow cadence and the gun salute boomed.

“We can’t help but shed tears, yet only God knows the reason for the loss of a hero,” Marcelo said.

As Robredo’s bier mounted on an open truck decked with white and yellow flowers passed by, people waved to show they were saying goodbye to a well-loved son of Naga City. They shouted, “Pogi, pogi, pogi.”

Legion of Honor

Before the eulogy, the President conferred posthumously the Philippine Legion of Honor, with the rank of Chief Commander, on Robredo.

It was the President’s penultimate act before he handed Robredo’s widow the flag which, for many mourners here, has come to symbolize the country’s undying gratitude to a fallen son of Bicol who had devoted his life to God and country.

The future

The President talked about a future when he and members of his Cabinet would meet and discuss what they went through during their incumbency.

“Jesse will not be with us during those conversations. We won’t be teasing Jesse about how he would size up his daughter’s suitors, and in the coming years, he won’t be around to play with his grandchildren,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said many in the Cabinet had hoped that Robredo would still show up and say, “Forgive me, you were all inconvenienced by my delayed arrival.”

Simple living

He made public what could probably be Robredo’s private personality—the “what you see is what you get” attitude; his quiet but hardworking work ethic; simple living; and proximity to the masses.

Mr. Aquino also joked about Robredo’s singing “limitations,” although two of his favorite songs were “My Way” and “Impossible Dream.”

“Jesse is a trailblazer in the ‘straight path,’” the President said.

“He proved that someone could succeed in politics without becoming a traditional politician,” and that early in his political career, “he longed for deep and widespread change,” Mr. Aquino said.

Cabinet pallbearers

By virtue of a presidential edict, Robredo was accorded full military honors befitting a head of state when he was finally laid to rest here.

The funeral and interment arrangements prepared by the Palace Committee on Funeral Arrangements and Burial were followed religiously.

After the President’s eulogy, the honor guard carried Robredo’s flag-draped casket and put it on a bier.

Secretaries Leila de Lima, Rogelio Singson, Rene Almendras, Edwin Lacierda and Teresita Deles; Metropolitan Manila Development Chairman Francis Tolentino and Lualhati Antonino, the chair of the Mindanao Development Authority, served as pallbearers.

The police and military detail rendered for the last time departure honors, including a 19-gun salute, before the funeral cortege proceeded to Funeraria Imperial Crematory and Columbary, some 700 meters away from the basilica.

All Cabinet members

The President, Robredo’s immediate family—Leni, Aika, Patricia and Jillian—close relatives and friends, and all members of the Cabinet followed the bier on foot.

The cortege reached the crematory at 1:03 p.m., when the military detail rendered the final honors for Robredo and a three-volley gun salute accompanied by a sounding of Taps.

For the last time, the crowd applauded Robredo before the casket bearers removed and folded the flag. It was handed to the President, who then presented it to Robredo’s wife at 1:24 p.m.

National Days of Mourning

This ended the state funeral, which began on August 21, when the President signed Proclamation No. 460 proclaiming National Days of Mourning until interment.

Later Tuesday, Robredo’s ashes would be interred in a plot in the Eternal Gardens beside the funeral home in a ceremony exclusive to the family and close friends of Robredo.

National figure

In a span of just seven years, Robredo was the second national figure from this region to be mourned by Bicolanos.

Robredo was a close ally of the late Sen. Raul Roco—also one of the region’s most beloved sons—who died in August 2005, after a long bout with prostate cancer.

Robredo walked alongside Roco’s hearse during the funeral procession attended by some 50,000 people

Robredo known for ‘tsinelas’ leadership

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Whether responding to disasters or planning how to rescue flood victims at emergency Cabinet meetings, Jesse Robredo would always turn up looking so cool in tsinelas (rubber slippers). The image defined him, and Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, speaking at a necrological service for the late secretary of the interior in Malacañang on Saturday night, called it Robredo’s “tsinelas brand of leadership.”

It was the last night of the state vigil for Robredo in the Palace and members of the Cabinet gave their departed colleague a merry, song-filled tribute before his family took his body back to his hometown in Naga City on Sunday morning.

The colleague Cabinet members called “Pogi”—handsome —died in a plane crash in Masbate province on August 18, leaving President Aquino suddenly without a popular and respected ally to handle the consolidation of local power as his administration faced its first local and congressional elections next year.

Cabinet secretaries, along with Vice President Jejomar Binay and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., remembered Robredo in songs, laughter and speeches.

As mourners filed past Robredo’s bier at Kalayaan Hall, they performed Robredo’s favorite songs in between eulogies, drawing smiles from the
President and Robredo’s widow, Leni, and daughters Aika, Patricia and Jillian.

Eulogy

In his eulogy titled “Tsinelas,” Almendras recalled that when
Aquino called an emergency meeting in the military headquarters in the aftermath of the August 7 massive flooding in the capital, he was amused to see Robredo looking so cool in rubber slippers.

Days later, he said, when the President and the Cabinet officials motored to evacuation centers, Robredo disappeared from the van, but showed up later on stage, wearing slippers. Robredo came prepared, as they waded in floods at the entrance to a school in Valenzuela City.

“He’d tell me: ‘Pare, this is the right footwear for floods. Flood victims use slippers,’” Almendras said. He described Robredo’s tsinelas leadership as a “pragmatic” and “a more demonstrative version of servant leadership.”

As Almendras sees it, Robredo’s leadership has many features. The first, Almendras said, is willingness to wade in floods and travel to the most far-flung areas “to be with the most disadvantaged people.”

“We all know Secretary Jesse rarely said no. That’s why he was one of the most well-traveled Cabinet members. He went to many places where some of us could not go to,” he said.

The presence of mourners from Mindanao during the first night of the vigil on Friday was a testament to how far Robredo would go “just to reach people,” he added.

Another characteristic of Robredo’s leadership, he said, was breaking down the barriers “between us and the people we serve.”

“Many years ago, a young architect told me: I will design it so nicely so that those shod in slippers will be shy to get in. We’re here in Malacañang; we’re here at Kalayaan Hall. Look around you. This place was not designed for tsinelas. And yet last night, and throughout most of today, how many thousands of slippers came into this room to pay tribute, to pay homage and honor to Secretary Jesse?” Almendras said, referring to the mourners filing into the American-era hall to pay their last respects to Robredo.

“Leaders must be acceptable, accessible to those they serve. That was Secretary Jesse Robredo,” he added.

And, of course, what is tsinelas leadership but being casual with people?

Almendras said: “But really wearing slippers is the most casual form. Being casual is being warm. Leaders must be casual with the people they serve so that they can listen, hear and empathize with the people that they serve. That was Secretary Jesse Robredo in its truest form.”

More important, this kind of leadership all boils down to base-level transformation, he said.

“It’s about transforming the expectations of people from their leaders so that the next set of leaders will be better than the good ones we now have. Tsinelas leadership is about working on the basics, no frills, something as uncomplicated and casual as the tsinelas but with a very, very clear vision. That was Secretary Jesse Robredo,” Almendras said.

Genuine concern

A day before Robredo died, Almendras said he got a call from the interior secretary who sounded so concerned about why floodwaters in Bulacan, a province north of Manila, had not subsided and what could be done about it.

Almendras said he promised to bring it up with Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.

“The very last line he told me was: ‘All right, pare. Our countrymen are really in a pitiful state.’ That is tsinelas leadership. A genuine concern and care for the people that we serve. That is Secretary Jess Robredo in its true context,” Almendras said.

Robredo was wearing slippers long before flip-flops and Havaianas became fashionable, Almendras said.

“My wish and prayer is the tsinelas leadership begun by Secretary Jess will become fashionable,” he said. Then turning to Robredo’s widow, he said: “Attorney Len, Pogi is also a fashion trendsetter. It won’t be far-fetched for candidates in 2013 to campaign in tsinelas. I hope this won’t just be for picture-taking. I hope they will step up to the standards that have been set by Secretary Jess Robredo, and that they will be worthy to wear the tsinelas.”

After the eulogies, the Cabinet officials rose from their seats and proceeded to the front of the bier and, clutching copies of lyrics, they sang Robredo’s favorite songs, “Impossible Dream” and “My Way.”

They ended Frank Sinatra’s famous song with the lyrics: “It was Jesse’s way.” Strategic Communication Secretary Ricky Carandang, the emcee, later said, “You know, I always hated that song, but tonight I liked it.”

The Cabinet dedicated their third and final song, The Stylistics’ “Betcha by Golly, Wow” to Leni Robredo, with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima leading. The song was the Robredo couple’s favorite.

At the start of the Cabinet memorial service, Noel Cabangon performed two songs, setting the tone for a night of entertainment and laughter.

Earlier, during the Liberal Party’s memorial service, Ogie Alcasid and Christian Bautista sang gospel songs. This was capped by Bayang Barrios with “Bayan Ko.”

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Robredo’s colleague in the Cabinet and in the Liberal Party, said he and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima discussed the meaning of Robredo’s passing.

“Cesar remarked: ‘Pare, what happened to Jesse is difficult … If we die, and we don’t get this kind of outpouring of grief, they might say we’ve done nothing,’” he said, drawing laughter. “Maybe, you should immediately get cremated.”

But then Abad said Robredo was a “tough act to follow,” saying he set an extraordinary standard as a public official, family man and servant of God.

“I, myself, have been grappling with this question and it’s clear to me that Jesse’s death isn’t the loss of this administration alone, it is the entire country’s. And our loss is defined first and foremost by Jesse’s uncanny, almost unmatched ability to navigate the delicate complexities of public service,” he said.

A good man

The sum of his achievements was founded on a basic truth: That Jesse was a “good man,” Abad said.

He wondered if it was coincidence that Robredo’s body was recovered on the 29th anniversary of the assassination of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. when he returned from exile in the United States on August 21.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. But judging from the grief that swept the nation, judging from the public clamor for a new hero like Jesse, his passing invoked in us a renewed sense of commitment in much the same way as Ninoy’s death became Jesse’s impetus for public service,” Abad said.

“And here we are now at the very cusp of a revolution that the unprecedented election of our dear President Aquino into office catalyzed and which Jesse’s narrative further enhanced: A movement for effective, transparent and accountable governance and a call for the empowerment of all Filipinos, especially the poor and the disadvantaged,” Abad said.

The three-day state vigil for Robredo in Malacañang ended Sunday morning, with President Aquino leading departure honors for him at Kalayaan Hall before his remains were flown back to his hometown.

Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila said a predawn Mass prior to the sendoff ceremonies on the Palace grounds.

The President, Leni Robredo and her children, and select members of the Cabinet watched as an honor guard composed of 150 members of the Presidential Security Group rendered departure honors, paying last respects to the late interior secretary with a 19-gun salute.

The hearse bearing the remains of Robredo left Malacañang at about 7:25 a.m. for Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, where planeside honors were given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines before the remains were flown back to Naga.

The plane carrying Robredo’s casket arrived at Naga Airport a little past 9 a.m. A series of necrological services was held, with public viewing commencing at 6 p.m. and lasting until late Monday.

The President has declared Tuesday a nonworking holiday in Naga for Robredo’s interment.

The funeral Mass takes place at Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia at 10 a.m. Tuesday. It will be followed by the rendering of full military honors at 11 a.m., and by the conclusion of the state funeral at Funeraria Imperial, where Robredo’s remains will be cremated.

Aquino will deliver a eulogy at the funeral.

An Interview with Leni Robredo (Wife of Sec. Jess Robredo):"That first night, I knew he was gone"

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Moments before his plane plunged into the sea off Masbate island on Saturday, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was telling his wife, Leni, on his cell phone: “Ma, just a moment, I am just attending to something. I will call you back.”

Robredo’s voice was calm.

Leni, in Naga City, was on her way to the airport to fetch him. She had no idea that the plane, a four-seater Piper Seneca, was about to crash.

He never called again.

When told by a Robredo aide that a plane had nosedived into the water, she thought: “Could it be their plane? Could it be him?”

That was how Robredo’s wife, Maria Leonor Sto. Tomas Gerona Robredo, 47, recounted in a press interview in Naga on Thursday her last conversation with her husband. Before then, Robredo had talked about his wish to see his family one more time.

Here’s that interview translated to English:

Question: What’s the decision of the family about the offer to bury Jesse Robredo at the Libingan ng mga Bayani?

Leni: We feel very honored with the offer but we are very sure that Jesse would prefer to be buried here. Naga has always been his home. He always tells me this is a happy place. That’s why I think we will be doing him a great disservice if he is not buried here.

So painful

Q: How does his family feel now, the brothers and sisters of Robredo, his parents?

Leni: We are coping but it’s very difficult. It’s so painful to lose a husband, lose a father, lose a brother. But now we know that this is what God wants. There’s nothing we can do but accept. All through his life Jess would always say, ‘What is fated is what will happen.’ I think the most that we can do to help him find rest is to show him that we are strong and we can take this.

Q: What were you and the Secretary talking about while he was on the flight?

Leni: Actually, we had quite a long talk. On a regular basis, we would talk 10, 20 times a day, but on that particular Saturday, our text exchanges and our conversation must have doubled. He was flying to Cebu while we had an occasion here. I would update him.

He would call and was so happy. He wanted to talk to our daughter, to congratulate her. All throughout the day that was the tenor of our talk.  He wanted to be home. He had expected that the affair involving our daughter would be over by 5 p.m.  But at 2 p.m. I texted him that it had ended. So he knew he would not make it.

Bent on going home

I thought he was not coming home anymore but a staff member of his told me he was bent on going home. It was not unusual for him and he was always very happy to surprise us. So I texted him at about 3:15 and said, “Pa, are you coming home?” He said, “Yes, we have boarded the plane.”

I am the one who drives the car and fetches him at the aiport. He said, “Take your time because our ETA is still at 4:15.”

I left the house about 3:40. I drove to the Naga airport in Pili. Just before I reached the airport, he texted me, “Our plane is going back to Cebu.” I asked him, “Why?” He did not answer me. Then he replied again, “The plane is going to Cebu.”

I was waiting for his instructions, if I would wait for him at the airport or if I would go home. But I could not contact him. So I decided to go home. I texted him, “I kept calling you but you do not answer.” And he answered, “The signals are bad.”

Calm voice
When I reached home I checked the log of my cell phone. It was 4:40. That’s why I thought it was impossible that the accident happened at 4:30 unless the time on my phone was advanced … Finally I was able to contact him on his Smart number. He told me, “Ma, just a moment, I am just attending to something. I will call you back.” He spoke in a very calm voice. It was as if I was calling him while he was in the middle of a meeting.

So I told him, “OK.” I didn’t call him again. I thought that they had landed safely in Cebu and the reason he was busy was because he was trying to find tickets in a commercial flight.

But about 15 minutes later, around 5, his security in Manila, Paul, called me up. He said, “Ma’am, were you able to talk with Sir?” I was a bit confused because I told him, “Yes, five minutes ago.” I asked why. He said that “a few minutes ago he called me up asking for help to clear the Masbate Airport because they were going to make an emergency landing.”

In fact, I think the airport was already cleared for landing, several officials were there but they reported sightings of a plane that had supposedly crashed into the sea.

It hadn’t sunk in yet so I said, “Could it be Jess and his companions?”  Paul said, “Maybe not, Ma’am. Hopefully Ma’am, it’s not them.”

But when I put my phone down, that’s it, I began to think it might be him.

‘My legs like jelly’

I told my youngest daughter first because she was the one with me. I told her, let us pray because something might have happened to Papa’s plane. She was already crying. I decided to call up Aika. She was in Araneta Coliseum watching the UAAP, Ateneo vs FEU. I told her what happened, she left the game, picked up her sister and they went to church.

I also informed my brother-in-law and my sisters-in-law. My youngest daughter Jillian was already crying and she was asking me if we can go to church. I told her, in my condition I don’t think I can drive because I felt like my legs were turning into jelly.

In a few minutes Mayor Bongat and the city council arrived until there were already many people in the house. Everyone was hoping that he would be okay. But after the first night, I knew that he was gone.

Q: Have you talked with the aide (Senior Inspector June Paolo Abrazado) of Secretary Robredo?

Leni: I wasn’t able to talk with him but I texted his father. I said, “Sir, this is Leni Robredo. Please tell June we are very thankful to him, we are thankful that he survived, we knew he took care of my husband … June served my husband very well. He is a good man, he was kind to all of us. That’s why whatever I feel now toward him is the gratitude that everybody feels.”

No longer important

Q: Many people say that he deserves a posthumous confirmation. Do you think this is necessary? What do you think is the best way to remember your husband?

Leni: When the confirmation was scheduled, I think it was last Wednesday or the Wednesday before that, I texted him. We are devotees of the Virgin of Peñafrancia and I was telling him, “Pa, I started the novena today for your confirmation hearing.” I said, “It’s just right because the confirmation hearing would be on the ninth day, a Wednesday.” He said, “Ay, don’t pray for that anymore.” He said, “It’s okay if I am no longer confirmed. Just pray for the midterms of your daughter.”

I’m just speculating but maybe that is no longer that important for him. I think what is more important to him is that he was able to do his job well. For me, it is as if it’s just a formality … I would like to think that not being confirmed was no longer a big thing with him.”

Q: Your husband has been a bastion of good governance and he has been awarded several times. What would the family want to continue the legacy of Secretary Robredo?

Leni: As of now, maybe because we are numb with grief, I can’t think of concrete steps. I would want to continue, not his legacy because I could not do what he had done, but maybe keep his memory alive. Whatever it is, maybe whoever will take his place would continue what he has begun. And hopefully the seeds he had planted in local government units would grow. Because if that does not happen, it’s as if the labors that my husband had done have gone to nothing.

He wants cremation

Q: Have you decided to cremate or bury him in Naga?

Leni: When Jess was alive, that was what he kept saying, that when dies, he wants to be cremated. So most probably, we would be following his wishes. He will be cremated but the people of Naga will be able to visit him. So we are preparing for that.

Q: What do you miss most about Secretary Jess?

Leni: I can’t say because of what we are feeling now. But while we are sad now it’s as if we are still kidding him at home … I am sure that what people have now shown him was beyond his imagination. He was always assured of the love of the people of Naga but it turns out it is not just the people of Naga who love him … He was very hardworking, very passionate about his work.

‘Are my efforts appreciated?’

When he comes home, sometimes he would say, “Will anything that I have been doing amount to anything?” It’s as if he is wondering if his efforts are appreciated because it’s different with the national and the local. Locally, the results are instant and he was used to that. But nationally, the results are not instant and he gets impatient. He would keep on asking: “Are my efforts appreciated?”

I keep talking to him until now, telling him, “See, the people have answered.” I am sure the point will come that we will miss him but right now we are steeling ourselves and we’d rather think that he is very, very happy now.”

Q: What do you think is the greatest thing Secretary Robredo did for the city and the entire country?

Leni: I cannot answer that. What I can say is what he did for our family. Jess was a regular husband, a regular father. He was not a Secretary, not a mayor if he was home. What I mean is he wanted to feel important to us.

He would come home only on weekends and the things that needed fixing were waiting for him—the busted light, the plumbing, the out-of-order telephone, these were waiting for him.

Cup is overflowing

He said one of the reasons why he wanted to come home every weekend was he felt grounded here … Power has its way of getting into you but it’s as if he is saying that every time he comes home, he wants to feel like a regular dad, a regular husband. That whatever it was that needed to be done had to wait for him.

What I want to say is while it might have been unnecessary that we should bother him about trivial things, it made him feel important. He was always doing something for the family. When I say “thank you” to him, he would say, “Least I can do, Ma.”

He would tell me, “It’s difficult to get used to certain things.” He was referring to perks in the office. He would tell me, “It’s difficult to get used to those things because you might get used to them.”

I think that’s why he always came home every weekend. Because that’s the way he was. So when people asked him, “Why do you keep coming back home?” he would tell them, “If I don’t come home, I would lose my head in Manila.”

Q: Do you have any regrets that he went to DILG?

Leni: None. I know he lived a full life. He fulfilled all his dreams. Just last Sunday, the one before this Sunday, we were having a talk. He said, “Quotang-quota na ako!” He said he no longer had any dreams for himself—just for his children. It was as if he was saying that his cup is already overflowing.

It’s as if he was saying, “I never dreamed that these things would happen to me. Sobra-sobra na ito (This is too much already).” And I think he was prepared to face the Lord.

I may have told you that he often went to Confession, maybe two or three times in a month. That’s why he is very ready. For me, I didn’t even question why he was taken so early. That’s how I explain to my children. While what happened was tragic to us because we were not prepared, his kind of death was perhaps a reward for the good things he had done.

Q: The feast of the Peñafrancia is coming. Will Secretary Jess be part of the traslacion and the fluvial parade?

Leni: I think he will be there in spirit.


Inquirer Research

(Editors Note: Leni Robredo was a graduate of the Universidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga City from elementary [1978] to high school [1982].

She graduated at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1986 with a degree in Economics and took up law at the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, passing the bar in 1990.

She is the eldest of the three children of retired Naga City Regional Trial Court Judge Antonio Gerona and Salvacion Sto. Tomas. She is at present connected with the Naga chapter of Saligan, a national alternative lawyers’ group helping farmers.)