Leni Robredo, daughters mark Jesse’s 10th death anniversary

Friends and family, led by former vice president Leni Robredo, remembered former interior secretary Jesse Robredo on Thursday, Aug. 18, 10 years after his life was tragically cut short by a plane crash.

A series of events were held both in Naga City, Jesse’s Maogmang Lugar (Happy Place), and Manila where he held office as interior and local government chief before he passed away in 2012.

Robredo, who is now the chairperson of Angat Buhay NGO, spoke about her late husband during a speech at the Museo ni Jesse Robredo in their hometown of Naga City, and the wrote about him in a Facebook post accompanied by a series of photos of the event.

“It has been 10 years since we lost Jesse. But his memory lives on because of everyone who joins us in remembering,” she wrote as she posted photos of the event attended by Jesse’s daughters, siblings, and Kaya Natin! Movement co-members.

Robredo thanked those who continue to push for good governance that her husband had started.

“Much has happened in this whirlwind of a decade, but the love that Jesse left behind is our constant source of comfort and strength,” she said, adding that the example he left continues to inspire her and their daughters to excel in everything they do and to be good to the people they encounter.

“Every day, we strive to make Jesse proud, as we have always been of who he was—to live with purpose and integrity, in service of others,” Robredo’s post read.

Their daughters—Aika, Tricia, and Jillian—posted through Instagram story and feed how they remembered their father.

Aside from posting about the event, the three shared about the grief they feel remembering how they lost their father.

The event, entitled “Isang Dekada: Commemorating the Life and Service of Jesse M. Robredo,” was livestreamed on the official Facebook page of the Jesse M. Robredo Foundation (JMRF).

During the event, the foundation launched the “DYES” book and the Gawad Jesse M. Robredo.

A wreath-laying ceremony was also organized by the city government of Naga City at the Eternal Gardens where police officers were seen offering flowers to the city’s most beloved mayor.

The former interior secretary’s friends at the Kaya Natin! Movement also attended the activities. Jesse was a co-founder of the movement that pushes for good governance and ethical leadership.

Former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who was Robredo’s running mate during the 2022 national elections, also reminisced about how he looked up to Jesse as a neophyte councilor in Quezon City.

“Nakita natin kay Jesse ang tunay na malasakit at pagmamahal sa bayan. Sa kanyang pamumuno, binigyan niya ng plataporma at boses ang iba’t ibang sektor tulad ng urban poor, kababaihan, manggagawa, at iba pa sa kanyang pamahalaan (We saw in Jesse the true compassion and love for the country.
In his leadership, he gave a platform and voice to different sectors, including the urban poor, women, laborers, and other in his governance),” his Facebook post read.

“It is truly an honor to have met and worked with a good and honest public servant, nationalist, and friend such as Jesse,” Pangilinan added.