WITH ALL DUE RESPECT ...

RIP Angelo Reyes (1945-2011)

I have a minor problem.

As you may know, last February 8, former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General, former Defense Secretary, former Interior and Local Government Secretary, former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, and former Energy Secretary Angelo Tomas Reyes (as a result of the police investigation) killed himself by placing a bullet in his heart, dramatically falling down into the grave of his mother. He was given full military honors and was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Suddenly, a man facing graft charges and being suspected as a  "corrupt crony" of ex-President Gloria Arroyo became some sort of a hero and sympathetic figure. The man will even have a film dedicated to his life, directed by none other than National Artist Carlo J. Caparas.

With all due respect, ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME?

I cannot deny his accomplishments as a soldier, politician, and statesman, serving his country for 45 years. I respect that. If you do not believe that, then you need to read the first part of this article again. I also cannot deny that he has been a good father, husband, and friend to probably everyone that knew him. And despite the allegations that he received a mind-boggling P50-million send-off after his retirement (what's even worse is that this practice was revealed to be a decades-old military tradition), everyone is innocent unless proven guilty. 

But I do not see how the common man would feel sympathetic to Mr. Reyes, much less give him respect as a person. How could you respect some man who killed himself? Instead of facing his problems, he chose to end it himself. Not alluding to anything, but Mr. Reyes is indeed innocent, why did he choose not to answer the questions, clarify doubts, and reveal the truth (and nothing but the truth) to his countrymen? 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, honor is defined as the "good name or public esteem" and "a showing of usually merited respect". Mr. Caparas stated that the reason behind his plans on making a film on Mr. Reyes is because the latter's death is a consequence of his last chance to save his honor. Really? Taking away your own life is NEVER good reputation. So if say, a man in the future faces a difficult challenge, in some degree similar to what Mr. Reyes went through, and he reads about what happened weeks ago, he will choose to go to the tomb of his parents, and kill himself, we will consider it as a good move? I am sure that there are other ways to defend your honor, such as having the strength to face them and revealing the truth. For a man who supposedly was one of the smartest students of his batch, Mr. Reyes probably did not realize that.

Some people would claim he "sacrificed" himself for his family, who (if the charges were true) would have inevitably benefited from those P50 million. Uh, once again with all due respect, Mr. Reyes should have realized that the career he is going to enter is never an easy and smooth ride to his goals. A career in the military or the government in the Philippines has been synonymous with corruption and fair-weather brotherhood for who-knows-how-long. Enter both and you will have twice the headache. Mr. Reyes should have known that at some point, his dumbest of critics will include his family in an effort to bring him down. He should have been more prepared and made his family realize how difficult life would be for them because of his profession. He probably did. However, he handled what turned out to be his last crisis the wrong way. The bottomline is, Mr. Reyes killed himself. 

With all due respect, too bad Mr. Reyes died. He probably knew something. He could have helped inch our country one step closer to finally breaking down these walls that will show to us what is truly going on with the authorities. Or maybe he really is innocent. Either way, he just became the latest "victim" in our struggle for the truth.

Mr. Caparas, I would think twice about spending money on that movie if I were you.

President Noynoy Aquino, thank you for keeping one of your promises from the campaign.   

RIP Angelo Reyes (1945-2011)