GMA won’t give up Reyes

President Arroyo is not about to let go of embattled Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes even as her political foes in Congress vowed to block his appointment at the Commission on Appointments (CA).

In a dinner she hosted for STAR editors at Malacañang last Thursday, Mrs. Arroyo expressed her full trust and confidence on Reyes that he would hurdle all obstacles for his confirmation as secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

She credited Reyes for his successful government campaign against illegal drugs, kidnap-for-ransom syndicates and smuggling.

"I hope the Filipino-Chinese community, the business sector and other beneficiaries of these successful government campaigns would come out for his (Reyes’) confirmation at the CA," Mrs. Arroyo told The STAR.

Mrs. Arroyo noted with concern that Reyes has made apparently enemies in his anti-crime campaign.

According to the President, some crime syndicates have paid hacks to conduct smear campaigns to discredit Reyes.

Notwithstanding his achievements during his military career and civilian postings, a number of lawmakers from the opposition however vowed to block the appointment of Reyes to the Cabinet.

Among the lawmakers include Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, along with his mother, Sen. Luisa Ejercito.

Even before the deliberations in the CA took off, Reyes, for his part, exerted efforts to mend fences with the former President Joseph Estrada.

Estrada himself confirmed to The STAR that Reyes, his kumpadre, along with his wife, visited him at his resthouse in Tanay, Rizal where they had a reconciliation talk. The former President stood as wedding godfather to one of Reyes’ sons.

Estrada supported Reyes’ declared plans to push for legislation in Congress and come up with a legal form of gambling similar to the popular illegal numbers game of jueteng.

Reyes became a key player of the EDSA II revolt which helped then Vice President Arroyo come into power following the popular ouster of Estrada in January 2001. He was then Estrada’s Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.

Reyes brought with him then Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado and the entire AFP brass to support Mrs. Arroyo and the new government during the EDSA II revolt.

Following his retirement from the military service, President Arroyo appointed Reyes as her defense chief until he resigned a few weeks following the Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003.

Some 300 junior officers and men staged a one-day mutiny in seizing Oakwood Premier Ayala Hotel in Makati City that day in demanding the resignation of Reyes among other officials they accused of high level corruption.

A few months later following his resignation, Mrs. Arroyo tapped Reyes as her ambassador-at-large and adviser on anti-terrorism.

The wave of kidnappings also prompted Mrs. Arroyo to appoint Reyes to head the newly created National Anti-kidnapping Task Force (NAKTF) which was to become the byword in the government’s anti-kidnapping campaign. — Marichu Villanueva