Jesse's sacrifices for love of country

I have a confession to make.  As a government official, I am supposed to be fair with my dealings with everybody, and not play favorites.  It is customary for me to meet national government dignitaries whenever they arrive at (or depart from) the airport.  Not all because of the sheer number of secretaries, senators, congressmen, and other officials who frequent Cebu, so I only do when my schedule allows.  Except when it’s really important, or when it’s the President who visits us.  But with Jesse Robredo, I always make it a point to meet him on his arrival and departure, not only because he’s a Secretary but because he’s a friend.

August 18, 2012 was the first and only time that I didn’t get to meet Jesse when he was in Cebu.  And the last time, too …  His schedule was actually awry last Saturday, changing at least 3 times, that I couldn’t meet him in the morning and I asked my staff to inform him that I will just meet him when he departs.  But while waiting for him in the afternoon, we received word that he went directly to the General Aviation area without passing through the terminal.

Jesse is my superior and a friend, but I dare say, a friend, first.  When he arrives at the airport, the first thing he asks me is, “How’s your wife?” or “Kumusta ang anak mo?”  Most of the time we talk about local government issues since that is his passion and that’s where I came from.  Last year, I asked him how he was doing in his new job, with a lot more responsibility, and far away from his family and Naga City, and he said, “Okay naman.”  Except that he dreaded the long drive home every weekend and the same time-consuming trip back to Manila the next Monday.  Flying would be faster but the schedules are fixed.  And there are times he couldn’t go home because of the demands of the job.  I know when that happens, he really feels bad because he always says, “Tinuturuan ko pa yung anak ko ...”

One time, he was fretting because his flight to Manila was delayed, which means that his meeting there would be delayed, and he would have to drive back to Naga City after midnight.  His aide-de-camp, June Abrazado suddenly stood up because his flight was already boarding (it turned out he was booked on another flight – because of the constant rebooking of Robredo’s flights due to his hectic schedule).  Jesse simply said, “I’ll take that flight,” yanked Abrazado’s boarding pass out of his hand, and gave him his own, and told him, “Here, ikaw na ang sumakay sa flight ko, kailangan ko’ng makauwi ng Naga.”  Rather unconventional, but that’s how he loves Naga and going home to his family.

At another instance, while waiting for his flight to Manila, he asked, “Bakit ba wala kayong flight direct from Cebu to Naga?  See, I have to go back to Manila, only to drive a long way back home.  Kung may direct flight sana, di, dederetso na ako.”  I told him only the market demand may dictate that to the airlines, something we don’t have any influence on.  Last Saturday, he was again booked to return to Manila, but he wanted to be with his family the soonest.  That’s what I think was the reason he took the ill-fated direct private plane to Naga.

Jesse loves his country and countrymen.  I know that deep inside, he would have simply wanted to stay in Naga with his family.  But duty calls, and the country needed him.  So he took the challenge and weight of responsibility, notwithstanding the inconvenience of being far from family and enduring the long drives back home on weekends.  Come Tuesday, he will be interred, and will be forever home in Naga.  We lost a Secretary, but gained a hero, an icon, who every government official and employee can emulate.