The old handwritten letter of late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to eldest daughter Aika gained traction on social media anew.
Vice President Leni Robredo uploaded the copy of Jesse’s 1992 letter for Aika on Facebook on Feb. 3, 2013.
The letter was penned on Aug. 11, 1992 when Jesse was in Germany for an official trip.
He was still a mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur then.
In the post, Robredo stated that her late husband loved writing them letters.
“Jess loved writing us letters. Found these in Aika’s old album-letters which her Papa wrote to her in 1992, when she was just 4 years old. He was in Germany for an official trip at the time he wrote these letters,” Robredo said.
The late Interior secretary briefly shared how his day went during his trip.
He then let four-year-old Aika know that he also misses her and sent well wishes to her and her mother.
Part of the handwritten letter reads:
“Mama told me that you miss me. Papa also misses you and mama. But this is part of Papa’s job as mayor. You will understand this as you grow older. Tell mama what you want me to buy for you. Please try to study well. Take good care of mama. Do not spend your time crying. Lots of love, Papa.”
The Robredo couple has three daughters namely, Aika, Tricia and Jillian.
As of writing, the Facebook post has since garnered over 415,000 reactions, 10,000 comments and 77,000 shares.
Of the reactions, there were 313,000 likes, 93,000 heart emojis and 6,700 cry emojis.
Despite being posted nine years ago, some social media users left comments and re-shared the post around September and October 2021.
This was also reshared by various Facebook pages and Twitter accounts in January 2022.
Jesse Robredo's letter to 4yr-old Aika in '92. Leni wrote: Jess loved writing us letters. Found these in Aika's old album letters which her Papa wrote to her in '92, when she was just 4 yrs old. He was in Germany for an official trip at the time he wrote these letters. 💗🤗🌺 pic.twitter.com/8cK7DzKvyl
— Teacher E (@E4thofjuly) January 12, 2022
They expressed how touched they were after reading the letter through emojis and gifs.
“This is so heart-warming. The Robredo children were really raised well by loving parents. Talagang walang maipipintas po,” a Twitter user said.
Some online users noticed that the former Cabinet official’s drawings within the letter’s body resemble emojis.
“Taray ni Sec. Jesse. May pa-emoji na nung 1992,” the Facebook user commented in jest.
“Late Jess Robredo using emojis before it was cool,” another Twitter user wrote.
“Sa kanya ba nagsimula ang mga emoji ngayon sa iPhone and other smartphones? Such a sweet father, for someone to be able to write that type of letter to his daughter,” a Twitter user quipped.
Others lauded Jesse for his neat penmanship.
“Ang ganda po ng penmanship ni Sir,” one Facebook user said.
“Ang ganda ng handwriting ni sir Jesse aside from the heartfelt message of his letter,” another Twitter user said.
“Ang ganda ng handwriting ni sir Jesse. Sa dami ng good qualities nya di na ko magtataka kung bat di na mag-aasawa si VPL. Mahirap pantayan ang isang Jesse Robredo,” an online user tweeted.
The late Jesse died in a plane crash in 2012.
During that time, he was the head of the Department of Interior and Local Government under the administration of late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
Prior to this, Jesse served as the provincial city mayor of Naga City for nine years.
In 1999, he was recognized by Asiaweek Magazine for his contributions in changing the city into one of the “Most Improved Cities in Asia.”
In June 2021, the vice president remembered her late husband’s friendship with Aquino in her heartfelt tribute following the latter’s demise.
