MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
HON. FELICIANO BELMONTE, JR.
Speaker of the House
House of Representatives
Quezon City
Dear Speaker Belmonte,
I hereby nominate the late Jesse M. Robredo for conferment of the Quezon Service Cross, the highest national recognition the Philippines can bestow, by virtue of Joint Resolution no. 4 s. 1946 entitled Joint Resolution to create the Quezon Service Cross for exemplary service to the nation in memory of the late President Manuel L. Quezon.
Secretary Jesse M. Robredo, during his life, embodied the values and principles every Filipino should aspire for. His tenure as Mayor of Naga City showed the whole nation a brand of public service that was fueled by humility, selflessness, and dedication. The way he improved Naga City earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Good Governance in 2000, making him the first Filipino Mayor to receive the award. More than that, he showed his city, his region, and the entire nation how local governance is supposed to work.
As Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Robredo remained faithful to his advocacy of true transformative change. He began a virtuous cycle in the Department of the Interior and Local Government. He established a full disclosure policy, and awarded seals of good housekeeping to local governments that performed well.
Through his life work, he showed all our countrymen how true public servants must act—with the Filipino people always foremost in mind, regardless of personal cost or danger. For this reason, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo thoroughly deserves the highest recognition the Republic can confer.
In this regard, it is respectfully requested that Congress approve the posthumous conferment of the Quezon Service Cross to the late Jesse M. Robredo, pursuant to the provisions of Joint Resolution No. 4 s. 1946.
Respectfully yours,
(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines
