Filtered By: Topstories
News

Reyes' last statement: 'I walked into corruption'


"I did not invent corruption. I walked into it. Perhaps my first fault was in having accepted aspects of it as a fact of life." These are perhaps among the last recorded words of former defense secretary and former Armed Forces chief Angelo Reyes, reportedly penned just two days before he killed himself amid allegations that he and several other former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chiefs of staff received millions of pesos in send-off money when they retired from service. “Tinyente pa ako, ganyan na ang sistema [That was already the system, even when I was just a lieutenant]," Reyes reportedly said Sunday, February 6 in "discussion notes" that he asked a “senior trusted associate" to jot down as preparation for an interview with Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism's (PCIJ) Executive Director Malou Mangahas. “I might not be guiltless/faultless, but I am not as evil as some would like to portray," Reyes reportedly said – clearly trying his best, in his characteristic terse style, to walk the fine line between admitting guilt and insisting that he pursued an honest career as a professional soldier. “I can perhaps be faulted for presuming regularity in a grossly imperfect system. As CS (chief of staff), [I have to work through?] a big landscape, presume regularity, convenient to ignore it, accept it as part of the system. It’s easy to say, institute reforms after the problems have erupted," Reyes continued in what Mangahas explained as still rough, unpolished, and incomplete notes. The full text of Reyes’ presumed statement, including Mangahas' own narrative of how she came to get hold of it, are posted on the PCIJ website, as well as reposted on GMA News Online's Special Features section (The final words of Angelo T. Reyes).
Interview with 'an independent journalist' On the night of Feb. 4, Mangahas said, a long-time news source suddenly called and met with her the next day to explore a possible Reyes interview with "an independent journalist" on the allegations of corruption brought against the former AFP chief. Mangahas said the source, which she did not name, “happened to be a senior trusted associate of Angie [Reyes’ nickname] for the last decade or so." "The PCIJ agreed but also requested that a few premises for a good interview — no-holds-barred, Reyes does not waste time denying things, and Reyes deals with the difficult questions. He consulted his sons and they supported the idea," Mangahas said in an email sent to media. Although Reyes had initially asked his "senior trusted associate" to confirm the interview, he later changed his mind three times about pushing through with it. Clearly agonizing over what must have been the most difficult decision he was about to make, Reyes nevertheless prepared for the interview by sitting down with his associate to discuss and document his thoughts and feelings. Reyes’ interview with PCIJ did not take place. However, on Tuesday, February 8 — the day Reyes shot himself — the associate gave the PCIJ the notes from his discussion with the former AFP chief. These included a minute-long voice clip and three pages of what the associate said might have been intended as "a final statement" by Reyes. “The notes are incomplete, because our conversation was unfinished," the associate told Mangahas. "With appropriate courtesy and clearance from his widow and sons, the PCIJ has decided to let Reyes tell his story, in his own words. The discussion notes are rough and still unpolished in some parts, and somewhat incomplete. But they are Reyes’s words and thoughts, as of Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, two days before he died," Mangahas said. Burdened by allegations of corruption Reyes' notes shed light on his state of mind in the days leading up to his suicide, burdened as he was by allegations that he and several other former AFP chiefs received millions of pesos in "pabaon" (send-off money) upon retirement from service. In an ongoing Senate probe, former AFP fund manager Lt. Col. George Rabusa claimed, among others, that Reyes allegedly received P50 million on his retirement. On the morning of February 8, Reyes killed himself in front of his mother’s grave. He died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, apparently from a caliber .45 pistol, based on the findings of a special investigation task group of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). The family and close colleagues of the former AFP chief, who are currently holding a memorial service at his funeral wake in Camp Aguinaldo, could not be contacted for reactions to the PCIJ revelation as of posting time. — JV, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT