Jesse Robredo

Jesse M. Robredo
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government of the Republic of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office July 9, 2010
President	Benigno Aquino III
Preceded by	Benigno Aquino III
Mayor of Naga City
In office June 30, 1988 – June 30, 1998
In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010
Personal details
Born	May 27, 1958 (1958-05-27) (age 53) Naga City, Bicol
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	Liberal Party (Philippines)
Spouse(s)	Maria Leonor Gerona
Children	Aika,Patricia and Jillian Therese
Alma mater	De La Salle University John F. Kennedy School of Government University of the Philippines Diliman
Religion	Roman Catholic

Jesse Manalastas Robredo (born May 27, 1958) is the current Secretary of the Interior and Local Government of the Philippines.^[1] Robredo is a member of the Liberal Party.

On July 9, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III named Robredo as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.^[1] Robredo was formerly the Mayor of Naga City in Bicol. Robredo is the first Filipino Mayor to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000.

Early life

Jesse Manalastas Robredo was born on May 27, 1958 in Naga City, Bicol. Robredo is a second-generation Chinese Filipino and is the third of five children (one of Jose Chan Robredo Sr. and Marcelina Manalastas two sons and three daughters).

Robredo's paternal grandfather was a Chinese immigrant named Lim Pay Co who arrived in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century. Lim Pay Co would later convert to Christianity and adopt the name, Juan Lim Robredo, because it was a custom that Chinese immigrants who convert to Christianity to adopt the name of their godparents at baptism and Lim Pay Co chose the name of the priest who baptized him. Jose Chan Robredo, Sr., Robredo's father, acquired the middle name Chan from his mother, it was her maiden name.

Education

Robredo studied at Naga Parochial School, a private Catholic school in Naga City, for his elementary education. While studying there, Robredo began to hone his talent and love for the game chess. Naga Parochial School was known and had established a record for winning Bicol's annual province-wide chess tournament and Robredo's brother had been among its champion competitors. However, when it was Robredo's turn to represent his school, Robredo only garnered second place.

In 1970, Robredo studied at Ateneo de Nagaand in September 1972, when Robredo was in the middle of high school, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law. Ateneo de Naga and its administration immediately called for an assembly and warned its students against getting involved in anti-government activities and efforts that this may result to the school's exposure to the risk of closure.

Robredo obtained his undergraduate degrees in Industrial Management Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the De La Salle University. Robredo was an Edward Mason Fellow and a graduate of Masters of Public Administration at John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1999. In 1985, Robredo finished his Masters in Business Administration at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, as a scholar and was named the Graduate School and Faculty Organization awardee for scholarly excellence.^[2]

Early career

In 1980, Robredo worked for the San Miguel Corporation in Mandaluyong City, in the Physical Distribution Technical Services of the General Services Division, and within six months, Robredo had hurdled two of the three levels in the division and was then sent to the finance division for another six months.

When Robredo's immediate superior was moved to Magnolia Ice Cream, San Miguel Corporation's ice cream division, Robredo was invited to come along. AtMagnolia Ice Cream, Robredo was assigned to logistics planning and concurrently, he functioned as staff assistant to the physical distribution director.

In 1986, Robredo returned to Naga City, where he became Program Director of the Bicol River Basin Development Program, an agency tasked to undertake integrated area development planning in the three provinces of the Bicol region.

Mayor of Naga City

In 1988, Robredo was elected mayor of Naga City, making him the youngest City Mayor of the Philippines at age 29. Robredo was able to transform the city from being dull and lethargic to being one of the "Most Improved Cities in Asia", as cited by Asiaweek Magazine in 1999.^[2]

During his time as mayor of Naga City, Robredo was credited for "dramatically improved stakeholdership and people participation in governance, in the process restoring Naga to its preeminent position as premier city of the Bicol Region."^[2]

In 1995, in recognition of Robredo's skills and competence as a leader and development manager, Robredo was elected President of the League of Cities of the Philippines, the national association of city mayors. Robredo also chairs the Metro Naga Development Council."^[2]

From 1992 to 1998, Robredo was also elected Chairman of the Regional Development Council, the regional planning and coordinative body of Bicol's six provinces and seven cities."^[2]

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government

From June 30–July 9, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III was Secretary of the Interior and Local Government,^[3] until Aquino named Robredo as Interior Secretary.^[1]

Vice President Jejomar Binay initially wanted to become Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, however, Aquino stated that the post is not being considered for him,^[4] but has offered Binay various positions, such as, to head a commission that will investigate the outgoing Arroyo administration, the posts of Secretary of Agrarian Reform, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), and the chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), but Binay refused.^[5] However, on July 15, 2010, Binay has accepted the offer of Aquino to take charge of the housing sector as chairman of HUDCC.^[6]

Awards and Recognitions

In recognition of Robredo's outstanding performance in public service, he has received 14 major individual awards which include, the 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service, 1998 Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence as Most Outstanding City Mayor of the Philippines, 1996 Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Award, 1990 The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM), and the first ever "Dangal ng Bayan" Award of the Civil Service Commission. In March 2008, Robredo was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by the Far Eastern University in Manila.

Robredo is a trustee of Synergeia Foundation Inc., a coalition of individuals, institutions, and organizations that works together to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines. Synergeia Foundation Inc. collaborates with local governments, the Department of Education, socio-civic groups, schools, teachers, parents and students to implement systemic programs that will improve the processes, systems and structures of learning and teaching.

Robredo, together with Isabela Governor Grace Padaca and Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, launched the Kaya Natin! movement. The Kaya Natin! movement started through a meeting facilitated by the Ateneo de Manila University - School of Government on June 2008 and has been regarded as a national movement that seeks to bring genuine change and ethical leadership in the Philippines.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Jesse Robredo named DILG chief". http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/09/10/robredo-named-dilg-chief. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Jesse Manalastas - Robredo Naga City Government Website". http://www.naga.gov.ph/cityhall/mayor.html. 
3. ^ Ager, Maila (June 29, 2010). "Aquino names Cabinet, takes DILG helm". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100629-278220/Aquino-names-Cabinet-takes-DILG-helm. Retrieved June 29, 2010. 
4. ^ Ager, Maila (June 23, 2010). "Binay meets Aquino, declines Cabinet post". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://politics.inquirer.net/politics/view/20100623-277169/Binay-meets-Aquino-declines-Cabinet-post. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 
5. ^ "Binay offered new office to probe Arroyo". ABS-CBN News. June 24, 2010. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/24/10/binay-offered-new-office-probe-arroyo. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 
6. ^ "VP Binay is new housing czar". http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/15/10/vp-binay-new-housing-czar. 

• DILG Regional Office No. 5

External links

• City Mayors profile

Preceded by Benigno Aquino III

Philippine Secretary of Interior and Local Government 2010 – Present

Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Robredo, Jesse
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 27, 1958
Place of birth	Naga City, Bicol
Date of death
Place of death