Former armed forces chief of staff and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who was embroiled in a scandal over alleged military corruption, died Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide in front of his mother’s grave.
A local village kagawad in Marikina interviewed by dzBB's Glen Juego said Reyes, his bodyguard, and two sons arrived at 7:00 a.m. at the Loyola Memorial Park. He witnessed Reyes standing in front of the grave of his mother before falling to the ground, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Nauna ang anak niya, pinauna sa sasakyan, naghintay siya doon, pati bodyguard pinalayo. Mamaya may narinig silang putok. Nakita nila si Secretary unti-unti bumagsak sa damo," the unidentified kagawad said.
(He asked his children to go ahead to their vehicle. He also asked his bodyguard to leave him alone for a while. Then they heard a gunshot and saw the secretary fall on the grass.)
Reyes is one of several former Armed Forces of the Philippines chiefs of staff who allegedly received millions in "pabaon" (send-off money) when they retired, former military fund manager Lt. Col. George Rabusa claimed in an ongoing Senate probe.
Health Sec. Enrique Ona said Reyes was rushed to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) around 7:30 a.m. by a driver, an aide, and his two sons.
Doctors tried to resuscitate Reyes for 45 minutes even though his body no longer had signs of life. “Wala nang pulso at hindi na humihinga (He had no pulse and he was not breathing)," Ona said.
“At 8:32 a.m., he was pronounced dead," Ona added.
Meron siyang gunshot wound, isa lang, sa left, sa location ng puso," (There was a single gunshot wound on his left side, the location of the heart) Ona said in an interview with GMA News' Kara David.
Reyes is survived by his wife and five sons. The family has not released a statement about the incident.
Newsbreak: Reyes was depressed
In a report released on Tuesday, the online news magazine Newsbreak said Reyes was depressed days before he apparently took his own life.
Reyes reportedly told his longtime friend and Academy upperclassman, retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, over and over again "wala na ito, pare" (this is the end, friend).
He is reported to have expressed the sentiment in the days following the first Senate testimony of Rabusa, who accused Reyes of allegedly receiving P50 million when he retired as military chief in 2001.
“He was depressed," Robles told Newsbreak.
The report said Reyes felt the die was cast and that the ongoing inquiry would not just drag the military but his entire family down.
Robles said Reyes expected that in due time, the investigation will bring out even “personal details" about his family.
Reyes was a key figure in the EDSA 2 revolt that ousted President Joseph Estrada and installed then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power in 2001. — LBG/RSJ/VVP, GMA News
Article Source: gmanews.tv
