AFP investigation ends in Gen. Reyes' suicide

It’s the first death anniversary of our good friend, former CITOM chief and councilor Rogelio “Jing Jing” Osmeña. No doubt Jing Jing was a colorful fellow and said what was in his mind regardless of who got hurt. But he had an eye for efficiency, which is almost absent in our government service, which made him a very frustrated person. In the end he couldn’t change the system that continues to exist or persist in our government.

One comforting thing that happened in the last year of his life was when I convinced him to join the Sons of David for our Monday weekly mass where he finally confessed to a priest after 40 years and received communion. When he joined us his medical problems was far behind him as he was in the pink of health. Months later his health nosedived. Fr. Robin Dumaguit, the priest who took his confession, was the same one who gave him his last rites. May we request the pious reader to please pray for the repose of his soul.

* * *

The Congressional investigation on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) corruption issue was marred when early yesterday morning, ANC’s Karen Davila reported a breaking news that former AFP Chief of Staff and later Defense and Energy Secretary Angelo “Angie” Reyes shot himself in the chest as he was visiting the Loyola Memorial Park. He was later brought by his family to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center. Gen. Reyes apparently visited his mother’s grave at the Loyola Memorial Park with his aides where he committed suicide.

It’s anyone’s guess why Gen. Reyes would kill himself, but people I talked with say that perhaps he and his family was shamed by the accusations pinned against him. In fact, instead of appearing before the Congressional hearing, the former Energy and Defense Secretary came up with a presscon and in his press statement he said, “Lately, Rabusa has even dragged my family into the web of lies he has spun so skillfully, so he could ingratiate himself to the Senate and become a state witness. This is not legally possible because Rabusa is the only one facing charges. He has no co-accused. Against whom will he testify as a state witness?”

Gen. Reyes’s statement further said, “Rabusa claims that he even gave money to my wife and children. This is a wild and preposterous allegation! My family and I are shocked that Rabusa would stoop this low, just so he could be cleared from the cases he is now facing. It is now public knowledge that Rabusa stands accused by the Office of the Ombudsman for perjury and unlawfully acquiring wealth to the tune of at least P43 million. The long list of Rabusa’s criminal cases, if pursued by the government, is likely to lead to his conviction.”

Well, despite these counter charges Gen. Reyes made against Lt. Col. Rabusa, he unfortunately chose the easy way out by committing suicide, which is a rarity in this country. The last Cabinet member that I remember who committed suicide was former Tita Cory’s Finance Secretary Jaime Ongpin who also shot himself after he was dismissed as Finance Secretary.

This brings us to the question: Why do people commit suicide? If you studied the Bushido Code of Japan, suicide is an honorable way of extricating oneself from the shame that would befall upon you. My favorite German General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox” was “forced” to commit suicide rather than face the People’s Court which was Hitler’s kangaroo court. He did this so at least his family could be spared from the shame of public trial as he was thought to be one of the German officers who plotted Hitler’s assassination. After he killed himself, Hitler ordered a State Funeral for Rommel. Later it was Hitler’s turn to shoot himself in the mouth, so he too could escape his fate in the hands of the victorious Allies.

I’m sure that there won’t be a state funeral for Gen. Reyes. I suspect that one issue that might surface soon is whether or not he is entitled to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. That he shot himself near the grave of his mother gives us an idea that Gen. Reyes was consumed with shame and he could not take it anymore.

But the death of Gen. Reyes won’t stop Congress from continuing with its investigation against the other AFP chiefs of staff who took monies slated for the poor soldiers and bought properties in the United States, an accusation not only being pinned on Gen. Carlos Garcia, but now it’s the turn of former CENTCOM Chief Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot to explain why his wife has bought houses in the US, something that an ordinary soldier can only dream of. With this Congressional hearing, no one is thinking of the Truth Commission anymore as it is not really necessary. Meanwhile other issues have surfaced like the wives of Gen. Reyes and Gen. Ligot getting monies for their numerous trips abroad. Then there’s the issue of Rep. Prospero Pichay getting P500 thousand when he visits the AFP Headquarters.

* * *

Email: [email protected]