“The entire family of agencies of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) joins the nation in mourning the untimely demise of a loving father, a dedicated leader, and a selfless public servant, Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

“DOLE officials and employees also extend their sincere condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones of the DILG Secretary.

“Secretary Robredo is a friend of labor and of the DOLE even before he became DILG chief. As mayor of Naga City, he provided the building that now houses the Camarines Sur provincial office of the DOLE and its agencies, the Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). Naga City, under Mayor Jesse Robredo, is the very first city in the country to institutionalize the Public Employment Service Office (PESO). He was one of the local government chief executives who lent support to the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program for informal sector workers, such as street vendors and tricycle drivers.

“A loving father not only to his very own offspring, but also to all Filipino children, the good Secretary Robredo has expressed his support for the DOLE’s fight against the menace of child labor. Just like us, he too, felt the compelling need to end the hazardous and worst forms of child labor which endanger the lives of three million Filipino children. He also partnered with the DOLE in battling all forms of illegal recruitment and human trafficking through the country’s local government units. With his passing, the fight just lost one of its greatest generals.

“It pains the heart that a life well lived such as his would be so short. A man of his caliber, a reformist untainted by corruption, is not easy to find these days. Ever believing that the government can inspire transformation, he started a lot of reforms in local government. The epitome of an honest public servant, he worked tirelessly for an effective, efficient, and empowered local government upholding transparency and accountability.

“Above all, he inspired the country’s army of public servants with his love for the country and service to the people that to him naturally came first before anything else.

“We will surely miss Secretary Jesse Robredo. Even as the DOLE mourn his passing, we, at the Department, promise to support his vision and vow to ensure that his legacy lives on by emulating the kind of public servant that he was.”

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