EDITORIAL

Angelo Reyes’ Death Shocks Country

The apparent suicide of a former Defense chief, who was at the center of a congressional probe into one of the biggest corruption scandals in the Philippine military, shocked the country Tuesday morning, February 8.

Sympathies and condolences to the bereaved family of Retired General Angelo Reyes are pouring in.

Reyes, 65, shot himself in front of his mother’s grave at Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina City. He was rushed to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City but declared dead at 8:32 a.m. due to a single gunshot wound in the chest.

Witness Feliciano Recorba, cemetery worker, saw Reyes standing near his mother’s grave as his two sons and bodyguards waited in their parked car. He then saw Reyes holding a pistol close to his chest with his left hand moments before the shot rang out.

His death is considered a dramatic twist in a scandal over accusations that top Philippine generals skimmed money from the Army to fund a lavish lifestyle. Reyes left millions of Filipinos — from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao — in a quandary with his death.

"His flight could mean guilt. I pity the people who wanted to know the truth," said Colonel Dickson Hermoso, former commander of the 7th Infantry Battalion assigned in 2009 in Pikit, North Cotabato.

Shocked over Reyes’s death, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) flew at half mast Tuesday flags in camps nationwide as they urge Congress to expedite its probe into the military corruption.

The flag will also be flown at half-staff in all 174 offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in honor of Reyes.

President Benigno Aquino III admitted that the untimely death of Reyes dampened the celebration of his 51st birthday Tuesday.

"I was shocked this morning when I first got the news. We don’t want this to happen to anyone. I expressed condolences to his bereaved family," Aquino told reporters when he graced a medical and dental mission in Mendiola as part of the activities lined up for his birthday.

Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay was also shocked by the news. "I offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family. Let us all pray that they find peace and overcome this tragic event," he said.

Binaywas at odds with Reyes after he led the AFP in withdrawing its support at the height of the corruption scandal in 2001.

The civilian military-backed demonstration catapulted then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power. Reyes held different Cabinet positions in the Arroyo administration, from defense to energy departments.

Former President Joseph Estrada remembers Reyes as a "good general."

"I extend my deepest condolences to the family [of General Angelo Reyes]. In spite of what happened at Edsa Dos, I will always remember him as a good general," he said.
Arroyo, who went to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center when she learned of the incident, called on the Filipino people to remember Reyes for his "courage and patriotic service."

Malacañang will give full military honors to Angelo Reyes as he served almost half of his life in the AFP.

According to Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin assured military honors will be accorded to Reyes since he was not proven guilty of the alleged corruption in the military.

"He is an innocent man for now... there is a presumption of innocence so there should be no accusation of guilt for now," Lacierda said.

Reyes’s name was dragged into former military comptroller Carlos Garcia’s controversial plea bargain agreement with the government after former military budget officer George Rabusa told the Senate hearing "former Defense Chief Reyes received P50 million as "pabaon" money when he retired as chief of staff.

Rabusa, in a radio interview Tuesday, said with voice cracking: "I’m really sad and I don’t know why he did that… I know his children, they treated me like a second father. ... We ate together. He served me meals."

Lawmakers, who are still busy attending the hearings on the plea bargain deal and issues hounding the AFP also expressed their condolences to the Reyes family.

"Through this tragedy, we should respect the time of mourning of the general’s family as this event is a shock to all of us. We offer our gratitude as well for the years of valuable service the general has extended to the government and this nation which will not go unnoticed," said House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte.

"We offer our condolences and sympathies to the family of former Secretary Angelo Reyes. It’s hard to imagine what they’re going through right now," added Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles. Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, asked the people to respect the grief of the family.

"It’s a sad news indeed," Pangasinan Representative Leopoldo Bataoil, a former police general, said in a message to Sun.Star.

For other legislators, the investigation into the military corruption involving high-ranking officials should continue despite the death of Reyes.

Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said Reyes could no longer shed light on the matter, his death should not stop the Congress in its pursuit to uncover the corruption in the AFP.

"The death of former Armed Forces Chief Angelo Reyes is very unfortunate... Instead of helping us search for the truth, he decided to keep the truth a secret," said Tañada.

Western Samar Representative Mel Sarmiento said the suicide committed by Reyes also reminds him of the stark reality that amid all the investigations both in the House and the Senate, he has yet to see for himself a clear roadmap for the country’s future.
Iloilo Representative Jerry Treñas, expressed his deepest sympathies with the family and loved ones of Reyes, but pointed out that the incident should not cause any delay in the ongoing investigations.

"This tragedy should strengthen our resolve to correct what appears to be a systemic defect in the AFP and in the entire government bureaucracy," Treñas said.

"This is really shocking. Secretary Reyes was very helpful in discussing what he knows about the budgetary system in the AFP and his inputs are certainly useful in correcting its defects," Ang Kasangga Party-list Representative Teodorico Haresco said.

AFP’s Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Reynaldo Mapagu hopes the investigation on alleged military corruption will push through.

"We are saddened that he ended his life. But the investigation must continue to include his wife and the children. We want to know the bottom of this," said Allan D. Yaphockun, governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Southern Mindanao.

Eastern Mindanao Command chief Major General Arthur Tabaquero said, Reyes’s death was unfortunate. He hopes the truth will come out.

"It is very tragic and sad," said Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat who said Reyes was adopted son of Zamboanga City, a good man.

Lieutenant General Ralph Villanueva, commanding general of the Central Command based in Cebu, said soldiers were "saddened and shocked" after hearing the news of Reyes’s death. "He was known to be a good officer," Villanueva told reporters.

Villanueva hopes the inquiry will be completed and those responsible will be charged.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was also saddened by the death of Reyes. He believes the pressure of being publicly condemned prompted the retired general to end his life.

While he does not oppose congressional inquiries, he said it is important for participating legislators to be circumspect.

"What’s important is that we do not close our eyes that we need to correct the system to reduce and even eliminate corruption," Rama said.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front spokesman Eid Kabalu also extended condolences to Reyes’s family. "We have no ill-feelings against him despite his major role in the 2000 all-out war declared by the Estrada administration. We would like to condole with his family," he said.

Kabalu believes that Reyes killed himself apparently "out of guilt."

"If he was assassinated, which authorities have ruled out, that would be a different story that implies that others want him silenced forever for fear he might implicate them," the rebel spokesman added.

The question on whether Reyes would be given a Catholic burial is for his priest to decide, said Canon law expert Archbishop emeritus Oscar Cruz. The most recent ruling of the Vatican, admitted Cruz, already allows suicide deaths to be accorded with a Catholic burial but this is not yet clear to every clergy member.

"It would depend on the parish priest [of the area where he will be buried], just in case he is brought to the church," said Cruz.

In a Catholic burial rite, the remains of the dead will be given a Requiem Mass, a blessing of the cadaver, the blessing of the tomb, and burial in a Catholic cemetery. (Jonathan de Santos/Kathrina Alvarez/Jill Beltran/Virgil Lopez/AH/AMN/Carmelle Marie Harrow/Ben Tesiorna/Bong Sarmiento/Malu Manar/GAAgtay/Sun.Star Davao/Bong Garcia/ KAL/BAP/RSA/ETB/Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex) /MP