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Family bars critics from visiting Angelo Reyes' wake


Critics of the late Defense secretary Angelo Reyes should not bother paying their last respects to him. They are not welcome. This was the strong message of the Reyes family delivered by their spokesperson, Patricia Daza, at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon at Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City, where Reyes’ remains were brought hours after he committed suicide in front of his mother's grave in nearby Marikina City. (See: Ex-AFP chief Angelo Reyes kills self before ma’s grave) “The family is very devastated. To all concerned, they request that those people who maligned, who belittled and humiliated the secretary in public and in media not come anymore to pay their respects," said Daza. She specifically mentioned 1-UTAK, the party-list group that dropped Reyes as their nominee in the May 10 elections after his qualifications were questioned; and the lawmakers and military officials whom she said “fabricated lies against the secretary." “Huwag na kayong pumunta, huwag na kayong magpadala ng dasal at mga bulaklak. Hindi ho yan tatanggapin ng pamilya (Don’t ever go to his wake and don’t bother sending flowers because the family will not accept that)," Daza said. She also warned politicians and government officials who will visit the wake for grandstanding purposes that they will be asked to leave.


“Kung mag-uusisa lang at gusto lang magpa-interview, huwag na lang sila pumunta dahil (If they just wanted to be interviewed by the media then they shouldn’t go here because) the family will really just turn them away," Daza said. She said only the people who “truly condole and give their last respects" would be allowed to attend Reyes’ wake. Days before his death, Reyes faced a Senate investigation where he was accused of receiving about P100 million in payoffs during his stint as Armed Forces chief. The amount allegedly included the P50 million given to him as “pabaon" (send-off money) when he bowed out of service in 2001. Reyes, who held several Cabinet positions under the Arroyo administration, was also accused as the powerful man behind alleged plunderer Carlos Garcia, a former military comptroller. Reyes denied the accusations, saying these were part of a smear campaign against him.
ANGELO TOMAS REYES March 17, 1945 – February 8, 2011
Angelo Tomas Reyes was born in San Miguel, Manila on March 17, 1945 to Pablo and Purificacion Reyes, both public school teachers. Reyes considered Binangonan, Rizal as his ancestral town. Reyes graduated valedictorian from the Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School (then named Cubao High School) in Quezon City. From there, he entered the Philippine Military Academy and graduated seventh place in PMA Class 1966. Reyes held the following positions in the Philippine Army (PA) and in the top brass of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), garnering various military medals and citations throughout his 39-year military career until he retired in 2001:
  • Team leader, Special Forces Group PA (Airborne);
  • Commanding officer (CO), 4th Infantry Battalion PA, Zamboanga;
  • CO, 602nd Infantry Brigade PA, Davao provinces;
  • Commanding General (CG), Civil Relations Service AFP;
  • Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, J2 AFP;
  • CG, 5th Infantry Division PA, covering Northeastern Luzon;
  • CG, Southern Command AFP, covering the whole of Mindanao;
  • CG, PA; and
  • Chief of Staff, AFP
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Very depressed Daza said it was obvious that the accusations and the Senate appearance had taken its toll on Reyes, who shot himself in the chest Tuesday morning while visiting his parents’ graves at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City. “He has lost a lot of weight. He has been very depressed. Hindi talaga siya makapag-focus kaya sa Senado, kahit palaban siya, hindi siya makasagot nang maayos (He really couldn’t focus, that’s why he had difficulty answering the questions in the Senate)," she said. Daza denied that Reyes was involved in any irregularity, saying some people were just out to destroy his reputation. “He was just dragged into this controversy. There were five other chiefs of staff after him and yet he was singled out. Siya talaga pinupuntirya (They were singling him out)." Reyes’ death was confirmed by Health Secretary Enrique Ona at a press briefing Tuesday morning at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, where Reyes was brought. The suicide angle was confirmed later on by the police. “It appears from the statement of the witness . . . that it was self-inflicted," said Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), adding that a witness saw Reyes carrying a gun when he went to his parents’ graves. Reyes was accompanied by two of his sons and at least three aides during his visit to Loyola. Reyes’ family had refused to have his body autopsied, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras" Tuesday night. They also refused to hand over the gun used in the suicide to police investigators. Mystery caller The TV report said the police also want to get hold of Reyes’ cellular phone after a witness — Feliciano Recorba, a caretaker at the cemetery — said the former Defense chief received a call minutes before he took his own life. Recorba reportedly described Reyes as “agitated" while talking to the phone. “It could be of importance to the investigation," said an unidentified policeman in the “24 Oras" report, referring to the cellular phone. Recorba, who helped carry Reyes to his car after the shooting, said Reyes asked to be left alone immediately after the phone call. “Narinig ko na sinabihan yung anak niya na hintayin na lang siya sa kotse tsaka yung bodyguard niya medyo pinalayo ng konti (I heard him ask his sons to wait for him in the car and his bodyguard to keep some distance from him)," he said. It was then that Reyes decided to end his life, he said. — KBK/JV, GMA News
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