SC yet to resolve Angelo Reyes' petition despite his death

Former Defense secretary Angelo Reyes died without knowing if he is eligible as first nominee of the party-list group 1-UTAK. However, the Supreme Court, where Reyes’ petition is pending, can still take “judicial notice" of Reyes’ suicide, according to court spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez. At a press briefing Tuesday, Marquez said Reyes’ case remains pending because the Commission on Elections (Comelec), through the Office of the Solicitor General, has asked for more time to answer the former Defense chief’s petition. “The Solicitor General asked for an extension of time to file a comment so I don’t want to preempt what the court is going to do with that particular case," he said. Marquez said the court renders a petition as moot depending “on what capacity a petitioner is filing a case." In Reyes’ case, he filed the petition in his personal capacity. In 2010, Reyes left his post as Energy secretary to run as 1-UTAK party-list representative in the May 10 elections. The group later withdrew Reyes’ nomination after it received flak from militant organizations. In September that year, the Comelec disqualified Reyes as the group’s first nominee, prompting him to ask the SC to make him eligible as first nominee of the group and prevent the Comelec from enforcing its resolution disqualifying him. Reyes, who held several Cabinet positions under the Arroyo administration, committed suicide Tuesday morning while visiting his parents’ graves at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City. Two weeks ago, Reyes faced a Senate hearing on alleged corruption in the military. He was accused of receiving around P100 million in ill-gotten wealth during his stint as Armed Forces chief, an accusation he vehemently denied. — KBK, GMA News