Bishop: Reyes’ suicide should not soften commitment vs graft

The suicide of former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes amid charges of graft in the military should not soften government’s commitment to fight corruption, a senior Catholic Church official said over the weekend. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo also chided a retired military official for claiming Reyes’ suicide was an "honorable thing." “I hope that this very unfortunate... end of General Angelo Reyes will not make the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Ombudsman and the Aquino Administration soften their commitment to root out corruption in our country," Pabillo said in his web log. Reyes shot himself in front of his mother’s grave in Marikina City last Tuesday. He was rushed to a Quezon City hospital but doctors failed to revive him. At the time, Reyes faced allegations he received P50 million in “pabaon" (sendoff money) when he retired from the military. On the other hand, Pabillo scored retired Navy chief Mateo Mayuga over the weekend for claiming suicide was an honorable thing for Reyes to do. A Metro Manila newspaper even quoted Mayuga as saying “Reyes’ act of taking his life by shooting himself in the chest showed “extreme courage." But Pabillo stressed that committing suicide is wrong and likened Mayuga’s statement to “calling evil good." “Let us not send a wrong message to the people, especially the young, that suicide is all right. No, it is all wrong! Whatever troubles we find in life, we should be brave enough to face them," Pabillo said. “Yes, we condole with the family, the loved ones and friends of General Reyes. I personally felt extreme sadness at his action and prayed for his soul. But sympathizing with him should not induce us to saying what he did was right," he added. Pabillo said he is not a military man and cannot understand what is so “honorable" in taking one’s own life. “Taking one’s life is an act of escapism. It does not even serve the country in this case. The country, especially the foot soldiers who are struggling it out on the ground, need to know how the military spends its moneys," he said. — LBG, GMA News