Things I Learned from Sec. Jesse Robredo

by Harvey S. Keh
Published at the Manila Bulletin, August 25, 2012

I met Secretary Jesse Robredo in 2001 at an event organized by Synergeia Foundation, one of the country’s more effective institutions in improving our public education system.

Since then, Sec. Robredo has become one of the people I have looked up to for advice. His effective brand of leadership has been a constant source of inspiration for me.

As such, I wanted to share the things that I have learned through the years that I worked with him:

I learned that there are still people like him who remain ethical despite being in government service. Many people dissuaded me from entering government service, telling me  that no one survives the current system of pervasive graft and corruption. Sec. Robredo showed that one need not compromise his or her values and principles to be able to govern and deliver basic services to the people in an effective manner.

When I asked him what was his secret for being steadfast in his values, he told me that his faith in God and his family are his main foundations, and this is the second lesson that I learned from him.
In a society where we hear of politicians having several wives and families, we have someone like Sec. Robredo who had put premium on his being a loyal husband and a loving father who devoted time to his three daughters.

Read the rest of the article here.