Robredos mark Jesse’s 60th birthday

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo wished her husband Jesse had lived long enough to see his dreams for his children come true.

“These are all his dreams, including Aika’s education from Harvard,” Leni said during the unveiling of “Para Kay Jesse” exhibit and installation art at the Museo ni Jesse Robredo in Naga City yesterday.

The event marked the commemoration of Jesse’s 60th birth anniversary.

Leni was referring to her daughter Aika’s recent graduation from Harvard and Tricia’s completion of preclinical studies at Ateneo de Manila University.

The Vice President flew to the US last week to attend Aika’s graduation.

Aika, just like her father, finished her mid-career master’s studies in public administration at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government as an Edward S. Mason Fellow.

On Saturday, Leni attended Tricia’s coating ceremony at the Ateneo School of Medicine.

“It is also our dream to a have a child who is a doctor,” she said.

Jillian, the youngest among the Robredo siblings, will graduate from senior high school in the next few days. She passed the admissions exams of New York University and the University of the Philippines.

The Vice President was elated when she received yesterday Jesse’s senior citizen’s identification card from the city government of Naga, where he served as mayor for six terms.

“I’m happy with the gesture of the city (government) to give him a commemorative, symbolic senior citizen’s ID. On my way home over the past few days, I was imagining when Jesse turns 60, he might be the subject of our jokes,” she said.

Jesse, formerly secretary of the interior and local government, died in a plane crash in 2012.