Aquino sad on his birthday as Reyes dies in apparent suicide

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is understandably sad as he celebrates his 51st birthday on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, news broke out about the apparent suicide of former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who was embroiled in an alleged corruption scandal in the military. Aquino admitted that he was deeply affected by the demise of Reyes, who was also a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). “Nagulat po tayo nung malaman ang balita kanina. Hindi lang sa medyo (na-dampen) siguro talagang (na-dampen ang araw ko)," Aquino said at the sidelights of a medical and dental mission held in Mendiola, Manila as part of his birthday celebration. The President said he never took the accusations hurled against Reyes and other military officials against them. He treated the allegations as a way to correct the system. “Never na trinato natin na personal o na isang tao lang ang may kasalanan pero tinitignan natin yung kabuuan kung paano ba nangyari ito, ano ba ang mga mali sa sistema, paano ba natin iwawasto, paano ba natin mapipigilin na itong mga allegations na ito, for instance, kung mapatunayan ay hindi na mangyari uli sa mga susunod na panahon," he said. He said the incident would not have happened if the persons allegedly involved helped in solving the problem. “Ayaw naman natin mangyari kahit kanino yun. Nakikiramay po tayo sa kanyang mga naiwan. Sana yung…tumungo tayo sa solusyon para sana hindi ganito ang nangyari," Aquino said. With this, he appealed for everyone's help in changing the system. “Sana kung me mga caught by the system makatulong sa atin para maidentify, matukoy yung suliranin ng sistema na hindi na magkaroon ng mga ganitong pangyayari," said the President. During the Thanksgiving Mass held in celebration of Aquino's birthday on Tuesday noon in Malacañang, Father Arnold Abelardo urged the President not to stop seeking the truth. "Whatever is our position, God is calling each and everyone of us na maging liwanag niya dito sa daigdig. Marami pa tayong kakaharapin, maaaring marami pang magpapakamatay, maaring marami pang masasaktan but our desire for truth, our commitment to good governance ay hindi dapat tumigil," the priest said in his homily. He called Aquino as a "biyaya ng Diyos sa bansa (gift from God to our country)." Reyes' death Reyes, born on March 17, 1945, was declared dead on arrival at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. However, doctors still tried to revive him and Ona said Reyes' official time of death was 8:32 a.m. on February 8, the birthday of President Aquino. Reyes died of an apparent suicide. Although no official statement has been released about the cause of his death, cemetery workers claimed they saw Reyes shoot himself. Reyes sustained a gunshot wound in his chest at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City where he visited the tomb of his parents. Reyes is survived by his wife Teresita and his five sons, Pablo, Angelito, Marc, Carlo and Judd. Accused of "pabaon" Two weeks ago, former military financial officer George Rabusa accused Reyes of receiving a "pabaon" (send-off money) of P50 million from military funds when he retired as military chief. On Tuesday, the day he died, Reyes was supposed to testify before the House committee on justice on its inquiry on the plea bargain deal between the government and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, who was accused of plunder. The probe, which was ongoing as of posting time, was also supposed to discuss supposed pay-offs received by members of the military upon retirement. Reyes was the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 2000 to 2001 during the terms of former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Reyes was also Defense Secretary from 2001 to 2003 and Energy Secretary from 2007 to 2010. – VVP, GMA News