House leader seeks to name good governance prize after Robredo

MANILA -- House Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said Wednesday the government should establish a good governance award to be named after late Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to perpetuate his example of excellence in public service.

Robredo, a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for his unmatched expertise in good governance, died Saturday after the chartered plane carrying him and three others to Naga City crashed in Masbate City.

Tañada hopes his idea of a "Jesse Robredo Awards for Local Good Governance" will be considered by the government so that recognitions, such as, Best Tanod, Best Financially-Managed Town, Best LGU (local government unit) website, and Best in Solid Waste Management, among others, will be given out as early as next year.

"Alive, he set the standard in public service. It is now the template for the ages. And it up to us the living to make sure that the generations of civil servants will look up to it as the model to be followed," Tañada said.

Before being appointed as Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Robredo served Naga City as mayor for 18 years.

Robredo was also a recipient of the 1996 Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Award, the Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) award, the 1998 Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence as Most Outstanding City Mayor of the Philippines, and the first ever "Dangal ng Bayan" Award of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

Tañada said the idea behind the Robredo Awards is to honor "outstanding workers and programs in all aspects of local government service, from budget matters to peace and order."

He added that the proposal intends to search for local heroes, "those who toil beyond and above the call of duty without fanfare."

"Actually, there are many Robredos on the ground. He can be the honest and hardworking traffic enforcer who does not leave his post come hell or high water. Or the barrio doctor who still makes house calls in the dead of the night," Tañada said.

The House leader proposes that guidelines on the awards be drafted by the DILG, and the CSC, together with representatives of the academe, such as the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, and the Ateneo School of Government, and non-government organizations.

The Budget department, meanwhile, will decide on the amount of cash prizes to be awarded to the winners. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)