Confirmed in the hearts and minds of his people l Livejournal - The-looser-it-s-me
Except FOR a brief encounter at the Naia 3 terminal while waiting to board a flight for Bohol, I would have never met Secretary Jesse Robredo. He was a complete stranger although I knew him as a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service for his work as mayor of Naga City.
Going through my previous columns on such diverse topics as the rights and privileges of senior citizens and the Luneta hostage crisis, I realize that I had made some comments and observations about Robredo that defined my impressions—not always positive—of the man.
Just a few years ago, senior citizens were experiencing difficulties in the implementation of the Senior Citizens Law. There were lots of complaints concerning business establishments, particularly drug stores and restaurants, many of whom were deciding for themselves how the law should be interpreted. Very often, senior citizens had no choice but to accept whatever was their version of the law. A case in point was the use of credit cards by senior citizens. Some establishments refused to grant senior citizens discount unless payment was made in cash.
Five years ago, I received a letter from a senior citizen of Naga City. He related how a KFC outlet in downtown Naga refused to grant him any senior citizen discount for a take-out order he made consisting of “a single chicken meal with coleslaw salad.” According to the waiter, the senior citizen discount was not being honored for take-out orders, citing the practice as a nationwide KFC policy.
The senior citizen then filed a formal complaint with the mayor’s office. The city legal officer in his recommendation to Mayor Jesse Robredo, called for a liberal interpretation of the law, particularly when social legislation enactments were concerned. In this particular case, he believed the law should be interpreted on the side of the beneficiary who happened to be a senior citizen.
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