Once in 2010, I had a one-on-one with Sec. Robredo when I bumped into him on a domestic flight. About a week later, I interviewed him on ANC. I observed that his demeanor was exactly the same. Whether it was en solo while waiting for a delayed flight or on national TV with the lights on his face—his manner was the same. He had no airs about him, which is, I think, where he gets his command. For someone in his high position, he always replied to text messages. If he couldn’t, he’d call to say he’d reply later. I often texted him during relief operations to ask for LGU contact numbers, and once I asked him to just give me a staff member’s name, but he said there was no need for that since it was okay to just text him straight.
I’m not sure why these are the only things that come to mind right now. I guess these are the concrete things I’ll hold on to when remembering Sec. Robredo. That he was a very consistent person, accessible, and he always replied. I’m not sure if our country can afford this loss; it’s like we overdrew. I know “it goes on and we’ll pick up” eventually, but for today I’ll just pause and mourn the loss of Sec. Robredo. Maraming magbabago, condolence sa ating lahat.