JESS ROBREDO UPDATE: PNoy orders State Funeral and 6-Days of National Mourning for Jesse.

JESS ROBREDO UPDATE: PNoy orders State Funeral and 6-Days of National Mourning for Jesse.

Jesse Robredo does his job quietly but surely. He always lay low. Always humble. There was never an incident that he throws his weight around.

Because of his untarnished records, exceptional public service, Jesse will be given Full state honors. The highest to be accorded to a worthy son of the Republic of the Philippines.

For six days, beginning Wednesday, all government buildings and installations around the country were enjoined to lower the national flag to half-staff in compliance with the President’s proclamation declaring national days of mourning for Robredo from August 21 until his interment.

The body of the late interior secretary will lie in state in Malacañang from Friday to Sunday as part of state funeral preparations, but officials have yet to decide whether this will be open to the public.

The military, police and the Presidential Security Group will accord Robredo official honors, culminating in a gun salute at his interment on Tuesday in his hometown in Naga City, according to  Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III.

“The state funeral is the highest possible kind of a funeral that a republic can give. Whether you are a medal of valor winner or a president, the essential elements are the same. There would only be minor differences based on your rank and that’s in the number of guns in the gun salute,” Quezon said.

A state funeral is accorded to a President, Senate President, House Speaker, a national artist or a medal of valor awardee, or anybody that the President deems “worthy,” he said.

Military honors

According to Quezon, full honors for Robredo will include the following:

• On Friday morning, the Philippine National Police will escort Robredo’s body from Archbishop’s Palace in Naga City to Naga Airport, and will render departure honors.

• At the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will render arrival honors.

• From the air base, the PSG will escort the body, and will render honors upon arrival in Malacañang, including a gun salute.

• The body will lie in state in Malacañang.

• On Sunday morning, the PSG will render departure honors, and escort the body back to Villamor Air Base.

• At the air base, the AFP will render plane side and battalion honors.

• The AFP will then again perform arrival honors at Naga Airport.

• From the airport, the body will be escorted by the PNP to Naga City Hall.

More honors

The interment is set for Tuesday. And since, it’s a state funeral, the following honors will be provided:

• An escort battalion.

• A funeral cortege with the participation of the uniformed services.

• Arrival honors at place of interment.

• Gun salute.

• Playing of taps.

• Turnover of the national flag that covered the coffin to his widow.

A book of condolences in Philippine consulates and embassies will be opened according to Malacanang.

Family accepts

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Robredo’s family had accepted the rare honor.

Malacañang announced the state funeral for the 54-year-old Robredo, whose body was  retrieved on Tuesday morning from the wreckage of a four-seater light plane that crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Masbate Airport. Robredo was en route home from Cebu City, where he had delivered a speech on behalf of President Aquino.

Robredo’s remains will be flown from Naga to Manila on Friday morning, and the wake will be held in Malacañang until the body is flown back to Naga on Sunday morning. 

Robredo’s wake in Malacanang will be most probably be held at Heroes Hall but details are not finalized yet by the committee on funeral arrangements and burial.

To date they are still undecided whether the wake would be open to the public or not. They however ruled out bringing Robredo’s body to his office at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) at his family’s request.

Traditionally, wakes for presidents were held in Malacañang, but exceptions were made for some members of the official family, according to Quezon. Wakes for the country’s leaders were held in Rizal Hall, while those for the rest were done in Heroes’ Hall, he said.

The last time the Palace had a president lying in state was when former President Diosdado Macapagal passed away in April 1997. The remains of the late Press Secretary Cerge Remonde were also brought to Malacañang in January 2010. 

Everyone is invited to pay tribute to the exemplary life and work of Secretary Robredo through your testimonials and remembrances.

People are encouraged to use the unified hashtag #salamatjesse for their Twitter messages. Malacanang also invite all those who wish to share their thoughts, memories, and messages of sympathy for the Robredo family to please visit www.gov.ph/salamatjesse