22 August 2012 – The Makati Business Club joins the nation in mourning the passing of DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo. We deeply mourn the loss of a true champion of good governance and exemplar of principled, visionary, and effective servant-leadership.
We extend our sincerest condolences to the family of Secretary Robredo, as well as to the kin of pilots Captain Jessup Bahinting and Kshitiz Chand. We can only pray that their personal grief will be somewhat assuaged by the knowledge that Secretary Robredo, by his death, has dramatically raised the bar in the public’s consciousness for the quality of leadership Filipinos should expect from public officials and the dedication to genuine public service the next generations of leaders should seek to emulate.
The best way we can pay tribute to Secretary Robredo is by ensuring that the legacy of good governance and comprehensive reforms he introduced in the DILG will be carried on. We sincerely hope that when President Aquino begins the search for the new DILG head, he will consider only candidates with the managerial skills, vision, integrity, humility, and commitment to transparency and accountability that Secretary Robredo embodied.
While Secretary Robredo’s untimely death has left a nation grieving for the loss of a true servant of the people, we would like to think that he has also left a people inspired by the example he has set, with a clearer understanding of and stronger commitment to building the “daang matuwid.”
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