In commemoration of the death anniversary of Department of the Interior and Local and Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse M. Robredo, the Jesse Robredo Foundation (JRF), National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Philippines launched on August 20, 2015 the Tsinelas Leadership Awards (TLA).
According to the JRF, the award is aimed at spreading Sec. Robredo’s “legacy on good governance, genuine public service and leadership…and to promote and celebrate leaders who take action, strive to make things better and remain with and true to the people.”
Five municipal mayors will be selected to receive the award in December 2015.
In her keynote, Tricia Robredo, executive director of the JRF and daughter of Sec. Robredo, explains that the term “tsinelas leadership” attributed to his father encapsulates the leadership qualities of always being ready to help and identifying himself with the common folks.
“Tsinelas Leadership” was reportedly coined by Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras in his eulogy for Robredo in 2012. Almendras hailed Robredo’s “willingness to wade in the flood, willingness to go where people do not normally go just to be with the disadvantaged.”
Dean Maria Fe V. Mendoza of NCPAG remembered Sec. Robredo, who also served multiple terms as mayor of Naga City, as an exemplar of good governance. With the TLA, “we will honor those who practice servant leadership that is grounded and not only lip service… and I believe that there are many more like Jesse Robredo in the country” said Mendoza.