I seldom post in my personal blogsite political issues, but maybe due to a hangover of my recent month-long visit to Japan, I can't help but share my piece of thought on what happened to the honorable general.
Angelo Reyes did a hara-kiri, a Japanese suicide rite in bid to preserve one's good reputation till the end of his life. This is never a Filipino culture, and one may find it unChristian, weird, silly and what have you. But among the Japanese, this is moral and honorable. Usually, Japanese hara-kiri is done in the temple or any holy place. In the case of Reyes, he did it at the tomb of his beloved mom, holy among Japanese and Chinese, for their culture called filial piety, where they worship old creatures.
Reyes was a victim of a cruel political system, and perhaps treachery of close friends. Among the Japanese, that's the worst thing that ever happens to one's professional life - betrayal by the institution he belongs. That's why, in Japan, everybody is bowing their heads before entering and leaving one's workplace. They place premium on the institution they are in, and not on the post they hold. Thus, if you ask a Japanese what is his work, he would answer and give, the name of the organization (e.g. Sanyo Company) rather than his position (e.g. Company Manager or Clerk).
I tend to believe that Reyes chose to safeguard the military institution he once worked, rather than his very life, amidst the controversy at the time of his death. To the Reyes family, our deep condolences Filipino-style. (JSF Blogs)
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