From Epal Bill to Robredo Bill

The proposed Epal bill should be amended and then passed immediately.  The amendment I want is simple but makes perfect sense.  Instead of the uninspired and rather tasteless “epal” tag, it should be called the Robredo Bill, in honor of the man who, in his time as Mayor of Naga and later Secretary for the Department of Interior and Local Government, defined what government service should be: effective but low-key;  exemplifying the type of service that called attention to the effect and not the action, benefitted constituents and not political allies, and honored the people not the self -- the antithesis of how so many politicians behave and dispose of their duties which is anything but public service.

Jesse Robredo was not Mikee Arroyo who pretended to represent security guards and janitors.  He was genuine, unpretentious and secure.

Jesse Robredo was not Camarines Governor Luis Villafuerte who blocked his confirmation as DILG Secretary because he failed to unite politics in the Bicol region which the Villafuertes have lorded over for decades, and where Luis himself is at odds with his very own son LRay.  No.  Jesse was not like him.  He did not see public service as having geographic or political boundaries.  He only saw Filipinos needing help.

I believe that Jesse Robredo was fated to die early, while there was so much left to do.  It had to happen because there are so much more that can be done if he is gone.  I believe that because of his example, more like him will follow.

Good men die in different ways.  Some die old, helping and inspiring people along the way, mostly those who are in immediate contact of the man.  But there are those like Jesse Robredo who must die leaving behind plenty of what-ifs and open-ended questions that would inspire and goad future generations to fill in the blanks and continue the work left undone.  Jose Rizal died the same way.  So did Ninoy Aquino.  Their deaths, while untimely and deeply unsettling, paved the way for upheavals that changed the course of our nation’s history.

So yes, Jesse Robredo died not a second too soon.  Change is on the way.

Through his death, stories of his dedication to his country and its people are surfacing; making more Filipinos – especially those that have become jaded and skeptical – believe that there are people in the government who genuinely have the interest of the Filipinos at heart.

Through his death, people are now realizing that he has done a lot without anyone hearing or reading about them.  That is public service, not self-service.

Pass the Robredo Bill and let’s move forward without the likes of Meynard Sabili polluting

beautiful Lipa with his heavily doctored photo every chance he gets.  This is politics at its crudest.

Pass the Robredo Bill and let’s start a new culture of politics where officials are more concerned with good governance rather than good image projection.  The latter naturally follows if the former is observed and sustained.

Pass the Robredo Bill and let’s put a face and a name to good governance.  It’s long overdue and someone just died for it.


I hope this post is read and shared until it reaches the proponents of the Epal Bill.