General Angelo Tomas Reyes – The Man With A Strong Heart
Secretary Angelo T. Reyes
General Angelo Tomas Reyes, former Department of Energy Secretary, former Department of National Defense Secretary, former Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, one of the “starman” of PMA Class 66, a remarkable officer and a fine gentleman, a bugo-bugo extraordinaire, a class by himself, is gone.
People might ask who is General Angelo Tomas Reyes and why am I writing about him? I do not know him. Although my husband and I maintain contact with a few of the Academy Cavaliers, we never even got to meet the General and shake his hand.
However, let me just share you my thoughts about the General, which were all based on my humble research of his life and on the accounts of his trusted men and friends, including even his enemies, who, despite their opposing views, still respected him.
Let me begin by saying that beneath the chest of General Angelo Tomas Reyes used to beat one of the strongest hearts this nation has ever seen.
He is the embodiment of what a soldier should be. Strong. Courageous. Loyal. And most of all, honorable.
General Angelo Tomas Reyes’ final act of taking his own life, contrary to an admission of guilt as most would quickly presume, is the greatest dare and challenge he throws upon these malevolent, selfish, disrespectful, holier-than-thou, malcontent wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I respectfully submit that General Angelo Tomas Reyes may not be perfect, and may not be considered altogether a saint. But let me ask you this: who among us is?
If you say you are, then I regret to tell you this but you are a hypocrite and no better than those persons who claim themselves to be “righteous.”
Allow me to mention a verse in the bible, which, without a doubt, you may be very familiar with. John Chapter 8 Verse 7 says: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone…”
When Jesus said that, General Angelo Tomas Reyes responded by casting stone upon himself.
For us who find it easy to condemn, and at times, ridicule and insult the good General, shame on us. We, who are lesser beings, both in character and in spirit. Shame be upon us.
General Angelo Tomas Reyes has raised the standards in public service.
That if you fail for whatsoever reason, you pay with your own dear life. Try topping that.
In life and in death, General Angelo Tomas Reyes showed us all, the stuff that he is made of. In his humble act of paying with his life, he shows strength of character.
The manner by which he ended his life by shooting the part of the body where it is more painful and agonizing shows he is uncowed.
Unlike desperate, miserable and defeated men with no hope who shoot themselves in the mouth, temple or head, General Angelo Tomas Reyes chose to pierce his heart with a single bullet.
It was an act of extreme courage that most people will probably never understand. He gave a new meaning to the phrase “With all my heart I swear.”
In life and in death, General Angelo Tomas Reyes managed to save his face and honor. To people like General Angelo Tomas Reyes, honor is of greater value than life itself. They are willing to give their lives to defend that honor.
For a true-blue and red-blooded warrior such as General Angelo Tomas Reyes, it is not suicide, it is death before dishonor.
We, who are still living, aside from lacking the face, still manage to be shameless and display a thick face. Cowards!!!
To those among us who consider themselves as the best, or who pretend to be the best;
To those among us who consider themselves as righteous, or who pretend to be righteous;
To those among us who consider themselves as without any trace of corruption or sin;
You all go ahead and try to show us what stuff you are made of! Show us what kind of person you are! Show us how great and righteous and incorruptible and sinless you are.
I and my family? We are just ordinary mortals. General Angelo Tomas Reyes belonged to a different league of distinguished gentlemen who value honor more than life.
We shall not mourn the passing of General Angelo Tomas Reyes. Instead, my family and I will stand up and raise our hands in the most reverent of salutes; A salute worthy of a man who deserves our utmost respect.
As the last taps resound in every corner of the nation and banners drape General Angelo Tomas Reyes’ last remains, his singing comrades will bury him to the echo of these strains. It is with fervent hope that young blood shall come to carry on the example of the old strong heart of General Angelo Tomas Reyes.
My family and I may have never met the good General, nor have we had the honor of shaking his hand. But if by chance we meet any member of General Angelo Tomas Reyes’ family, we would surely be deeply honored and privileged to shake their hands. Because in doing so, we would be shaking the hands of the family of the bravest man we had ever known.
Thank you very much Sir, for the service you rendered to our beloved country.
The coffin of former Philippine Defense Secretary and Armed Forces Chief of Staff, GeneralAngelo Reyes, is carried by honor guards with his Philippine Military Academy mistahs
General Angelo Tomas Reyes March 17, 1945 - February 8, 2011
Secretary Angie Reyes March 17, 1945 - February 8, 2011
hiramabiff81@gmail.com said,
February 11, 2011 at 9:15 pm
I applaud your succinct comments, which I share!
I, too, served in the uniform of my country for over a couple of decades, and had the honor of meeting General Reyes while he was serving as the head of ISAFP in the mid-90s. This was in the course of doing my courtesy calls to the heads of the various Commands in the AFP and PNP following my reporting to assume duties at my new posting then. I was immediately impressed with General Reyes’ candor and sincerity, wit, intelligence and being thoroughly well-versed with the issues at hand and his commentaries. (If memory serves, I believe he was still a Colonel, or, a Brigadier General, at the time!)
I personally do not believe any of the allegations (if that’s what they were meant to be) during the course of the so-called ‘investigation’ wherein he was originally supposed to have been called as a ‘resource person’, yet, in actuality was set-up to be an escape goat!
The General did the most honorable way he knew and believed — that of committing seppukku, thus, killing himself rather than dishonor himself, his family, the military uniform, and the institution he valued above all — the AFP!
As I posted elsewhere before, ‘those of us who served in the military share an unspoken bond that will never be understood, much less, appreciated by those who did not’!
My posting here is not meant to offend anyone — one way or another — but rather is made as an honest expression of my sentiments toward a revered Comrade-in-Arms!
wyons said,
February 13, 2011 at 5:39 am
Thank you for your comment. I am truly honored and humbled by your visit and comment.
My family and I have always maintained a soft spot for men in uniform. Wearing your nation’s uniform is a sublime gesture of love and patriotism for one’s country.
Honor to General Angie Reyes, and i’m sure the same goes for active and inactive military men, is something more precious than life itself. That is an old-school thought that modern and non-military individuals would never understand. It is one of the motto of the Philippine Military Academy “courage, loyalty, integrity (honor).”
The fact that Philippine Military Academy cadets can be discharged from the PMA and ostracized if they dishonored themselves by lying or cheating just goes to show the level of importance General Reyes and others accord to honor.
He felt that his honor was taken away from him and those that are maligning him will not stop until his destruction is full and complete. so before that happens, he took his own life.
I submit that PMA has produced its own share of rotten eggs, but what institutions has not? Even Ivy League schools, and religious institutions, have inadvertently produced their own share of rotten eggs. General Angie Reyes is not one of those rotten eggs. He deserved better than all the negative hullabaloo about his person.
General Reyes took his own life, not out of despondency or helplessness, rather, it was a courageous and solemn act by a man threatened with dishonor.
I just hope my blog will be read by the General’s wife or any of his five sons. My blog is a way of making them feel that there are people out here, who do not even know General Reyes personally, who truly appreciate the service he has done for the country.
I also hope you share my blog about Angelo Reyes with your military friends here. Thank you very much and have a great day!
marian singabe said,
February 12, 2011 at 7:14 pm
so sad -suicide is preventable.am just curious why the family did not pick up on his despondency and hopelessness.he went to vist his mothers grave twice should have a big giveaway.macho or not-a shrink would have been able to help.
wyons said,
February 13, 2011 at 4:53 am
Hi Marian,
Thank you for your comment.
Just a few points though.
He regularly visit his mother’s grave, so his action of visiting the grave of his mother twice can be interpreted in a lot of ways.
Second, based on the accounts of some of his most trusted men, he is the type who always says “the buck stops here, or with him, for that matter.” Meaning, he does not allow other people to carry his burden, let alone his responsibility. His family noticed that he has been despondent ever since he was called a moron, a man without honor, and a one-celled amoeba in the senate. He felt that his honor was taken away from him and those that are maligning him will not stop until his destruction is full and complete. so before that happens, he took his own life, which brings me to my third point.
The action of General Reyes is not an act of showing the world that he is “macho.” It was an act which have been done by royals, commoners, and other famous people in ancient times. The French have this ardent belief that blood washes away dishonor, while the Japanese way of seppukoo allow Samurais to end their life before they are totally dishonored.
Honor to General Angie Reyes is something more precious than life itself. That is an old-school thought that few modern individuals understand, whether they are shrinks or any type of medical professional for that matter. It is one of the motto of the Philippine Military Academy “courage, loyalty, integrity (honor).” The fact that you can be discharged from the PMA and ostracized if you dishonored yourself by lying or cheating just goes to show the level of importance General Reyes and others accord to honor.
I submit that PMA has produced its own share of rotten eggs, but what institutions has not? Even Ivy League schools, and religious institutions, have inadvertently produced their own share of rotten eggs. General Angie Reyes is not one of those rotten eggs. He deserved better than all the negative hullabaloo about his person.
So there you are. I hope I have enlightened you a bit about why the good General decided to take his own life. It was not out of despondency or helplessness, rather, it was a courageous and solemn act by a man threatened with dishonor. I hope you share my blog about Angelo Reyes with your friends. Thank you very much and have a great day!
marian singabe said,
February 13, 2011 at 8:16 pm
thanks.i’m a shrink.agree with you from his military training standpoint. i was hoping that he could have been helped and made to feel safe.agree with you that -this was huge burden to carry particularly when the whole attention is upon you and there is no way to defend yourself. it is extremely difficult to cope when one’s honor and dignity is called into question.it is traumatic.
thanks for your clarification.it is sad when a life is lost because of all this political posturing that happens in the philippines.
wyons said,
February 14, 2011 at 1:33 am
Thank you very much.
My apologies if my previous reply offended you in any way. Rest assured that I have a great respect for your profession. It is just that I believe that even if General Reyes would go to a shrink, he would still depart from the physical world the way he did. I do agree with you on the matter of “political posturing” of some individuals though. I just hope that the death of General Reyes will serve as a lesson to all of them.
In parting, I would like to share with you a breaking news about the last notes of General Angelo Reyes. Perhaps, it would shed light on the final moments of a great man who saw dishonor in the distance. Please feel free to read it. The news article somewhat solidified my conviction that General Reyes was indeed, a man of unquestionable honor and courage.
This is the address: http://pcij.org/stories/a-warrior-comes-clean-in-last-battle-for-honor/
Have a great day and may God bless us all.