NB: The following is a write-up sent to me by a friend of mine who elects to remain anonymous owing to the sensitive nature of the information presented.
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I had the opportunity to talk with a couple of retired staff sergeants (while lounging at the hot springs of Mount Balungao, Pangasinan), who served high-ranking generals in the Mindanao conflict with Muslim insurgents and terrorists. I asked them point-blank if there was any truth to the story that these generals were selling arms and ammunition to the enemy for their own profit and, as such, were not motivated to crush these bothersome elements once and for all. Their response was as honest as it was surreal.
In a matter-of-fact tone, they explained how much (I mean HOW MUCH) money (kickback) and “fringe benefits” (like the many all-expenses paid overseas trips of Angelo Reyes’ wife) these generals, among other high-ranking officers of the Philippine military establishment, received on a regular basis from all the suppliers and contractors of the Philippine military, that there is absolutely no reason for any general to sell arms and ammunition to the enemy for profit. The certainty of their answer was both comforting and damning at the same time, with absolutely no qualms in divulging the systemic kickback system that pervaded the entire Philippine military kleptocracy. So there you have it. Our generals are not traitors to their soldiers, they are merely in violation of “conflict of interest” in the parlance of corporate governance.
I just read the following article regarding a rapist in China:
A court in central China has sentenced to death a 40-year-old man who kidnapped two teenage girls, beating and raping them for months while they were held in an underground cell, according to state media.
Zeng Qiangbao, who worked in a steel factory in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, was convicted on Sunday of rape, illegal imprisonment, robbery and forcible seizure, the China Daily reported.
One girl, who was 16 when she was abducted, was held for nearly two years, while the other, 19 at the time, was imprisoned for 10 months, the report said.
“Zeng, who devastated the physical and psychological health of the girls and exerted an extremely negative influence on society, should be severely punished,” the court said in its verdict.
Zeng has vowed to appeal against the death sentence and said he would ask for a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he could be held responsible for his actions.
Fat chance! I am confident Mother China will execute Zeng soon. I am equally confident that the Filipinos will have no such luck with General Carlos Garcia and General Angelo Reyes. Death to both Carlos Garcia and Angelo Reyes . . . in our dreams.
On the suicide of Angelo Reyes (on February 8, 2011)
Angelo Reyes committed suicide because he could not live with himself denying the truth being constantly rubbed into his face in full view of the public. Although corrupted, the guy wanted a semblance of dignity. He may be guilty but he and his family did not have to be insulted for the rest of his life. Rabusa may have squealed on him but he sure as hell would not squeal on his Philippine Maknanakaw Academy Mistah. No Sir! A criminal of the old-school, who had some residual integrity, would never allow the authorities to catch him alive. The fact that the authorities after Angelo are crooks themselves merely added insult to injury. And so, he pulled the trigger, which broadcasts a message—I’m guilty but you can’t touch me. It’s a pity Angelo Reyes’ family harps on the “fabrications” of Rabusa et al in an apparent effort to save face. The lady doth protest too much! Angelo Reyes was a crook and he was man enough to admit it. His family should grant him the little honor he had left in killing himself. I wonder if there are any other generals in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with enough honor left to do the same . . . in our dreams.
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