Wecannot deny that in the Philippines the battle for democracy is a great issue. Whenwe speak of democracy we also speak of leadership.
We are blessed that amidstthe problem that we encounter in our government system there are still fewtrying to change things for the better. There are leaders standing for whatthey know is beneficial for the country. We hopethat our leader’s legacy will be the footprints of the next generation and beour guidance to achieve a better Philippines. 1. Jessie Robredo and The transformation of Naga JesseManalastas Robredo is the former Secretary of the Department of the Interiorand Local Government who initiated different programs focused on goodgovernance, transparency and accountability.
A former Mayor of Naga City at theage of 29 who dramatically improved stakeholdership and peopleparticipation in governance. He is known as initiator of inclusive publicfinance where revenue raised spent for pro-poor programs. He also curbed localbusiness tax avoidance and bolstered the trust of his constituents.
He receivedseveral awards, one is Hall of Fame being the most outstanding local government”most improved City” in Asia by Cable News Network (CNN).Jesse Robredo once said “The most importantingredients of leadership is character. Most of the proficiencies can belearned, but what ‘s inside you is something that is difficult to change”. Based on his work, Robredo is a visionaryleader, someone who demonstrate personal integrity to be an example to others.
He radiated the core values of a leader which should be innate and he tried topromote collective partnership through team learning initiative. With his termas Secretary of the DILG, Jesse Robredo shared the vision of creatingtransparent and accountable governance by pushing Seal of Good Housekeeping(SGH) which became the basis of Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) use atpresent to measure the performance of all Local Government Units. Robredo is a modern leader who inspire people evenfrom the far flung and most depressed community to make themselves better andgiving them hope and confidence to do great things. He also transformed oldmental maps in Naga City through innovative strategies on how to curb businesstax avoidance. While being straight in implementing policies he still ensurehaving good relationship by making people felt that every penny given to theCity treasurer is well spent and appreciated by all sectors in Naga City. Most Significant Project Positive Impact Negative Impact Inclusive public finance which illustrates the potential of such measures to make great strides forward in progressive revenue-raising, pro-poor public spending, and accountable and inclusive governance. Narrowly winning the mayoralty of a Naga city government that was PHP 1 million in debt in 1988, Robredo — working initially without a majority in the city’s legislative council — moved to curb local business tax avoidance, bolster the trust of constituents and ultimately secure a majority in the city’s legislature in subsequent elections.
Hall of Fame being the most outstanding local governments “most improved” city in Asia by CNN’s Asiaweek magazine.