City of San Fernando mayor will not take DILG post

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Mayor Oscar Rodriguez dismissed rumors on Tuesday that he is the strongest choice to replace Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo who recently died in a plane crash.

During the commemoration of the 29th death anniversary of martyred Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino at Heroes Hall on Tuesday, Rodriguez said that at the very onset when some political friends and colleagues asked him about the possibility of him taking on the Cabinet post, he kept mum and never even gave it a thought.

"Out of delicadeza, hindi ko sinagot iyun. Hindi ko pinansin. Hindi ako ang dapat sa post. At hinding hindi ko kaya ang ginagawa ni Ka Jess in terms of governance. I just want to live a quiet life. Besides, like Ninoy, Ka Jess is beyond compare," a teary eyed Rodriguez said.

Calling for a moment of prayer after hearing the news that Robredo's body had been retrieved, Rodriguez paid tribute to the man he had worked with for a long time.

"He is a model official of the country. He is very committed, sincere, honest and one of the few who is humble and simple. Diretso lang siya. Doble ang lungkot natin sa balitang ito na kasabay pa naman ng paggunita natin kay Ninoy sa kanilang sakripisyo at pagmamahal sa demokrasya at Tuwid na Daan."

"Marami sa aming local government officials ang nagising sa pamamahala because of his policies, modern guidelines and governance in general. Ka Jess wanted all of us to make a difference in governance," Rodriguez added.

He said he last met Robredo two days before the ill-fated crash. "I was there to provide him moral support on the confirmation process. The DILG event sent me a cake, which has now become a silent memento of Ka Jess. Hindi nga namin magalaw-galaw iyun. Our relationship with him is very special."

"There is extreme sadness in our hearts. Nakikiramay tayo sa pamilya niya and we pray that he rest in peace," Rodriguez said.