Robredo: Living Humbly For a Cause

UST High School student is finalist in the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition

The Ramon Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition, launched in March 2014, is part of the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation’s effort of inspiring the youth with living Asian heroes of change and to encourage them to demonstrate the same kind of servant leadership manifested by President Ramon Magsaysay and the Magsaysay awardees. The theme of this year’s competition is “My Favorite Ramon Magsaysay Awardee: Servant Leadership Qualities that Inspire Me.”

Among the more than 400 Filipinos aged 15 to 24 who participated in category A, Anthony Alexis Santos Laigo, senior student of UST High School emerged as one of the finalists in Category A of the essay writing competition.

Another RMYEC People’s Choice Award is ongoing through facebook. The essays of the finalists are uploaded with a photo-quote. The photo-quote with the most “likes” per category will win the People’s Choice Award. Voting is open to the public until August 20, 2014.

All Thomasians are requested to log in to (https://www.facebook.com/rmafoundation/photos/pb.119794208060798.-2207520000.1408349738./793306590709553/?type=1&theater) and vote for Anthony Alexis Laigo’s photo-quote for the late Jesse Robredo:

LET THIS BE A CHALLENGE NOT ONLY FOR ME BUT FOR ALL OF US: TO LEAD NOT FOR POWER OR GAIN, BUT FOR SELFLESSNESS AND PROGRESS; AND TO DIE NOT NOBLY FOR A CAUSE, BUT TO LIVE HUMBLY FOR ONE.

The full text can be read through http://www.rmaf.org.ph/rmyec/pca/213.pdf

The awarding ceremony for the said competition is set on Monday, September 1, 2014 at the Ramons Magsaysay Hall, G/F, Ramon Magsaysay Center, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

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RMYEC Category A Finalist 1 

Robredo: Living Humbly For a Cause
by: Anthony Alexis Santos Laigo 

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” Ramon Del Fierro Magsaysay, a revered man, lived true to these words, and his sudden death, though never met by today’s generation, was the living proof of this. Nevertheless, his greatest legacy, servant leadership, never dwindled; and through the annual Ramon Magsaysay awards, Monching’s legacy continues to be upheld by outstanding individuals who sought for good leadership and progress. Of all the recipients of this prestigious award, one man proved to be the modern legacy of Monching. His name is Jesse M. Robredo. 

I do not wish to retell the known biography of Jesse Robredo, but I only opt to share how he, my favorite Ramon Magsaysay awardee, became an inspiration for me to do my responsibility as a student and a servant to my country. These are some of the examples of his unending legacy: 

First, his nineteen years of service as Naga City’s mayor was an era of development and sophistication. Through servant leadership, he was able to transform Naga from dull to economically thriving and being one of the “Most Improved Cities in Asia.” His leadership, moved by dedication and sincerity, gave his people and even his country inspiration to strive for incorruptible service. He believed that service must come first so the followers trust that the leader only have in mind their interests – not fame, recognition, or personal gain. 

Second, his unending capacity and initiative to serve and his embracement of innovation and change steered his appointment as DILG secretary. Despite greater pressures from many politicians and greater challenges, Jesse Robredo never changed the way he rolls but only improves and modernizes his ways as generations change. Many of our citizens believe that our government is synonymous to the saying that if one in a basket of tomatoes rots, the others will rot as well. Robredo and many others, however, prove this belief to be wrong. He was able to serve his country with both honesty and ingenuity. These two are very important traits that lack in many of our officials today because despite serving with clean conscience, they lack the will and confidence to make the country both productive and progressive. Unfortunately, the focus of the government today is cleaning itself from corrupt officials while other social issues continue to rise. 

Lastly, he never let his public duties take him away from his family. In case most of us have forgotten, the family is the smallest yet most important unit in the society. Robredo was a great example of how work and family time should be balanced, and still giving greater importance to God and the family above anything else. From his election as mayor up to his appointment as member of the cabinet, he continued to invest greatly in his family just as he devoted himself in service to his country. 

Whether coincidence or not, Jesse Robredo, who suffered the same fate as Ramon Magsaysay 57 years ago, followed almost the same path as that of Magsaysay. Through dedication, transparency, and giving priority to his family, Jesse Robredo proves to be a great example of servant leadership and a legacy of Ramon Magsaysay’s honest and authentic governance. Let this be a challenge not only for me but for all of us: to lead not for power or gain, but for selflessness and progress; and to die not nobly for a cause, but to live humbly for one.