MANILA,
FEBRUARY 11, 2011 (BULLETIN) Chaff
from the Grain By HECTOR R.R. VILLANUEVA – General Angelo F. Reyes (Ret.),
former AFP Chief of Staff and former Secretary of Energy, killed himself last 8
February 2011, not because of guilt but because of a sense of honor to his
uniform and family which he believed did not deserve the allegations that he was
falsely accused of.
He died to save his honor and the security of his family in the tradition of
the Code of the Bushido and the Samurai.
Gen. Angelo Reyes was undeserving of the ferocious vindictiveness of Sen.
Jinggoy Estrada that dates back to 2001 EDSA Dos, and the personal vendetta of
Sen. Antonio Trillanes of the Oakwood Mutiny notoriety.
First, what started off as a Senate hearing on the plea bargaining deal of
Major Gen. Carlos Garcia degenerated into a witch hunt and the unraveling of
systemic corruption in the AFP and massive manipulations and diversion of funds
for unauthorized uses.
Ironically, while the senators and other accusers of Gen. Angelo Reyes were
belaboring the "pabaon" of P50 million, which Gen. Reyes naturally denied any
knowledge of, it is reminded that every congressman is earmarked or "allotted,"
directly or indirectly, annually an average of P200 million for "pork barrel"
and other "goodies" while senators are allocated an average of P400 million
annually for their national constituencies.
What is even more grievous is the fact that the National Government is
out-of-pocket amounting to P14 billion in pay outs for the Legacy Group scams
from failed rural banks to the pre-need fiasco.
The NG had to reimburse the depositors and public, charged to the taxpayers.
While the P50 million "pabaon" was not worth killing oneself, the coarse and
vicious vitriol that Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes had heaped on
hapless ex-Sec. Reyes drove the latter to commit suicide.
Second, the recent pandemic of killings and criminality is indicative of a
leadership vacuum, lack of hands-on management, and breakdown of law and order.
For President Benigno S. Aquino III, as the national leader, and while his
trust ratings remain high, must assert his moral ascendancy and make his
presence and wisdom felt on old and new issues and problems.
President Aquino needs to separate and prioritize the issues that form the
core of his reform agenda, such as, the eradication of corruption everywhere;
the reform of the uniform services; job generation; level playing field; and
"inherited" issues, such as the continuing search for the killers of the
Vizconde family and Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito; the
Reproductive Health bill; and fiscal management from which lingering issues he
will reap the credit if the issues are resolved successfully during his tenancy.
At present, President Aquino appears laid-back, hesitant, distant, and
seemingly disinterested in getting involved in issues which he believes should
be left to his subordinates or the courts, or Congress when he should in fact,
straddle, if he wishes to be a strong leader, the so-called "separation of
powers" doctrine which is not only seamless and borderless in practice, and more
of a myth in a realty.
You be the judge.
Chief News Editor:
Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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