Former Secretary and retired General Angelo Reyes was instrumental in driving the final nail into the coffin of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada in the 2001 “Edsa 2” “Revolution”. He was also instrumental in having mutineer-turned-“senator” Antonio Trillanes jailed for seven years for his alleged role in various rebellions against the Philippine Government between 2003 and 2007. And while Trillanes, Danilo Lim and their mob of putschists may have been busy stewing in their grievances over the way the Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted its business, Reyes delivered MILF headquarters Camp Abubakar to his Commander-in-Chief on a silver platter back in 2000.
We can see now where it gets personal (in contrast with typical politicians’ “we’re-doing-this-for-the-benefit-of-the-Filipino-people” number) for Senator Jinggoy Estrada and, particularly, “Senator” Antonio Trillanes when it comes to the alleged involvement of Angelo Reyes in the Senate “inquiry” on corruption in the Philippine military. Reyes was originally invited to appear at the Senate “inquiry” as a resource person. And for his trouble, he gets (1) a “star” whistleblower in the form of Retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa suddenly coming out of the woodwork to accuse him of stealing public money and (2) a vicious pit bull attack from Trillanes — one of such ferocity as to be widely seen as a factor that led to his subsequent suicide.
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It almost seems like a pre-meditated set-up to hang Reyes out to dry in the Senate “inquiry”. There was personal motive and there was opportunity. On Trillanes’s part, perhaps it could be a quaint case of professional jealousy — a chance to grind his axe against a man who embodied the aspirations of a little wannabe like himself: sack a major MILF stronghold and bag a plum government position after a successful coup. Who knows? This is all speculation of course.
It is, however, important to highlight here that Congressional inquiries are not the appropriate channels for catching the bad guys nor are Senators and House Representatives within their rights to act as prosecutors and judges with regard to the guilt or innocence of anyone invited to these “inquiries”. Yet Trillanes did make his flawed understanding of the purpose of these inquiries quite evident. Indeed, in the aftermath of Reyes’s suicide…
Trilanes [sic] said that he and the Senate won’t “back down.†“No, that will not happen.. We’ll keep on digging into this thing until we catch those who stole from the nation’s coffers,†he said.
Trillanes wants to “catch” people. But catching people is the job of the police, and prosecuting them is the job of the Department of Justice. Legislators on the other hand make Laws. And as such, it is quite apparent that Trillanes fails to grasp the point of such exercises, articulated spot-on by a PinoyExchange.com Netizen in his post dated the 10th Feb 2011…
Parang OGAG. Doesn’t even know that they are investigating in aid of legislation, not to catch thieves. That’s the work of the PNP and the NBI.
Unfortunately for Trillanes it is beginning to look like it is he who is looking like the chump coming out of all this. Acting arrogantly and then being shown to be wrong about said arrogance is a terrible combination of stains to be walking around with in the game of public relations.
His biggest fan in the Media, the venerable Ellen Tordesillas, not surprisingly was among the first to step up to try to salvage this pathetic situation that Trillanes finds himself in…
O ano, ngayun kung mayabang. Hindi naman nagnakaw. [Translated: “So what if he is arrogant, he did not steal, did he?”]
How sure are you that former Secretary and retired General Angelo Reyes, stole, Ms Tordesillas? Even a Senator of the Republic is not authorised to make that sort of call.
For Filipinos, perceptions of kayabangan (arrogance) and being mapagkumbaba (humility) spell a world of difference. President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, in fact, won the presidency on a platform of “humility”. For Trillanes, getting out of jail seems to be the worst thing that happened to his political career. Perhaps it is the reason why he’s been hanging out with the Queen of Filipino Showbiz Mother Lily lately…
[Mother Lily’s] special guest [at a dinner for the Chinese new year [she hosted] at Imperial Palace] was Sen. Antonio Trillanes whose candidacy she supported then, calling him her newest Regal Baby as he can be an actor. But Sen. Trillanes says he’s not “wired†to be an actor. “I’m flattered to be considered by Mother Lily, kaya lang, hindi po talaga natin linya yan. I can’t even sing dahil pumipiyok po ako or dance dahil dalawang kaliwa po ang paa ko,†he said.
Perhaps, “Senator” Trillanes, you should re-consider and start taking singing and dancing lessons. The way things are going, you might actually need a change of career someday.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Funny how stealing seems to be the worst sin ever for these emo beings. “So what if he’s incompetent? At least he did not steal.” “So what if he’s a murderer? At least he did not steal.” “So what if he’s a womanizer? At least he did not ste–” oh wait.
Next time there’s another crook they can’t catch for a supposed crime, it’ll be another worst sin ever.
Lol, totally agree.
you know what, when they do actually steal, people will start saying: “Tao lang naman…”
Some Filipinos can be poor judges of character…mga uto-uto.
So that means that “stealing” is the WORST sin? Oh, come on!
Everything that was bad and not good is a SIN. Kahit pagnanakaw pa iyan. My question to Tordesillas:
So are you saying na “E ano ngayon kung pumatay siya? Hindi naman nagnakaw.”
Holy crap.
For Filipinos in general, stealing is vindictive. Problem is trying to justify where it was stolen from.
Many anti-PGMA people would claim that She stole from them. That of course sounds stupid considering the money they use to pay tax isn’t theirs to begin with and isn’t in part of their interest alone, but for the citizens of the country.
So puede na ata ako siguro umihi sa tabi tabi tapos pag nahuli ako ng pulis sabihin ko lang “E ano ngayon kung umihi ako dito, at least di ako nagnakaw” 😀
LOL Trillanes looks like he’s got a huge right hand in the photo. I bet he could bitch slap the entire senate in one stroke. hahaha
The man could had done better; if he had proved himself as a good military man; by defeating the Abu Sayyaff rebels. He rebelled; was pardoned; got elected in public office; now he is rich and famous…he teamed up with the Estradas to settle a grudge…then, drove a fellow military man to suicide…
I would believe these Crooks are noble people…if Erap Estrada would had killed himself also; after he was convicted of receiving Jueteng bribes…
Why didn’t he bitch-slap those Abus, then?
It’s Antonio TROLLanes. Because he an arrogant asshole. So he used to troll on Angelo Reyes that lead him to kill himself. And he doesn’t regret it. Now, he’s officially the TROLL of the Senate.
When pinoychan is back online, I hope someone will make a TROLLanes face saying, “Problem, Reyes family?”
great article benign0…is it me or is something seriously wrong with this “senator”? i mean, kinda whack-o ya?
as the good book says: let he who is without sin cast the first stone…
all these “honorable” public officials, with their pork and conversions, they are all the same. Â at least angie reyes was a soldier and a commander who put his life at risk when he waged that all-out war against the milf. Â taking over hotels is hardly life-threatening…but the people voted for the mutineer. Â why was he even allowed to run?!! i cringed when i heard women voting for him because he was “good-looking”. Â sabagay, sen. miriam seems to fancy him…sige na nga, mother lily, make him your latest regal baby and watch the local movie industry commit suicide! Â good riddance!Â
Thanks. 🙂
Let me repost here the circulated text message that I posted under the “enemies” article::
“Senator Trillanes talks about honor and reputation? Meron ba cia nun? He cannot even explain to other magdalo members how much money was used to purchase d armament and equipage they used in Oakwood. Who was his financier and how come the navy personnel he recruited were paid higher than the army? Bakit galit na galit ang mga kasama nia sa Magdalo? Shabby and greedy cia. He cannot even mention in public that is mother is one of the suppliers in the AFP. And he thinks he is very honorable? Pls pass so he can be unmasked.â€
tsk tsk tsk
Trillanes and company better come up with something tangible out of all this. To come out with any legislation they need to dig into the systemic issues underlying corruption in the Philippine military. Otherwise, they will merely have demonstrated that all this was just a witch hunt meant to satisfy personal grudges and further political agendas.
‘In aid of legislation’ my Ash. Ano naman ang alam ni Senator Jinggoy sa paggawa ng batas..
Jinggoy Estrada is the tool of Noynoy Aquino to divert your attention. Important Legislations to stop the rising prices of prime commodities and Toll Costs are now abandoned.
These Idiots are only interested in throwing Mud on each other; and digging Garbage on each other; to put spectacle political circus…We Want to Stop this Madness!!!
with the endless spin this gov’t had been doing from day one, this is not impossible.
Don’t belittle Jinngoy accomplishment as senator.
The good Senator introduced two hundred eighty-nine (289) bills and resolutions, two hundred forty-nine (249) of which were primarily authored by him. His current priority bills are geared towards improving and strengthening the policies affecting our workforce and overseas foreign workers, empowering our local government units, protecting and preserving our freedom of expression and assembly, and promotion of youth welfare. At present, he ranks fourth (4th) among the list of Senators with the most number of proposed legislations filed in the Upper House.
Ang gulo. If crooks start posturing as militia and start persecuting crooks then it’s an indication that the common functionaries of the law are out of order.
Peace.
Noynoy Aquino”s tactic to hide his incompetence…take away the attention from him…See how the Oligarch Media is playing this on their forefront news?
How refreshing not to see Renato Pacifico in this thread yet.
Anyway, “bahala na ang dios o si batman!” Regarding the movie industry comment above, it’s already dead. Filipino movies exemplify mediocrity. Heck, Jinggoy Estrada won a FAMAS right? I think Trillanes is next, especially being nurtured by Mother Lily. I just saw Black Swan (off topic) and after the movie, I thought about how Filipino filmmakers are 50 years behind. With that said and looking at the broader picture of the state of the Philippines, I think generally speaking, our country is 75-50 years behind compared to advanced nations. That’s why I hardly watch Filipino entertainment, etc. To keep my sanity, I step back and watch American news, shows and movies…and of course Antipinoy to make sense of it all to refresh my corrupted Filipino mind. Jinggoy, Trillanes, Mother Lily….just the kind of characters in a bad “movie in my mind” as Salonga would sing. “A scene I can’t erase, and in a strong GI’s embrace, flee this life, flee this place.”
Where did these senators get the idea that they could exhibit such nauseating behavior with impunity? When did it become fashionable for senators to be rude and arrogant? He may have been an officer but a gentleman he is not. To exhibit professional jealousy in public is so sophomoric….indeed restraint shown by Gen. Angelo Reyes while being interrogated by the senate inquisition was admirable. To commit suicide takes so much courage….an act he probably did not want to do but had to! Oh, these senators could ham it up and say that they will not stop until they ferret out the cause of corruption. They did not steal they say? NOT YET!
The congress is empowered to conduct probe or inquiry (not investigation) it depend what the subject matter and what committee has jurisdiction. Like what the blue ribbon committee doing right now conducting a probe on the economic plunder of garcia and it ballooned into the pasalubong and pabaon in the AFP top brass. All the senators want to know is whether it is true or not that the existing tradition of the pasalubong and pabaon is true or not.
Whatever the outcome will led into congress amending or enacting laws that tighten the disbursement of AFP funds.
Can they also make an inquiry to the most scandalous and biggest waste of public funds- the Senate pork barrel and committee fund appropriation? I hope Heidi Mendoza can be the head of such a an inquiry. Imagine, each senator gets P200 Million a year of pork barrel fund,P 45 million per committee chairmanship, P5 million allowances per committee hearing, P15M travelling expenses for a senator who was in prison, Â
Well, there’s something about Trillanes that hasn’t been discussed for some reason. Maybe I’ll just post it here.
See, Trillanes has a big beef with the Philippine Navy since he was booted out from his assigned [couldn’t remember exactly when and what it was, will ask my source tomorrow and post it here] because he was taking his masterals without consent. Of course his studies interfered badly with his duties so his subordinates and dealers he worked with complained (sometimes he told the dealers to meet him somewhere near his university to sign papers since he obviously couldn’t meet him in his office), and eventually he was removed from the post, replaced him with another guy, and was put on floating status.
According to the retired Navy Officer whom I often talk with, Trillanes really wasn’t the ringleader of the Oakwood mutiny, and he only jumped on the bandwagon so he could save face after what happened to him, but he was pinpointed as the leader simply because of his seniority over the other members (but as I have mentioned earlier, he didn’t really start the movement per se).
All these said, I couldn’t blame Trillanes for acting high and mighty in front of Reyes when he did: to use an apt analogy, he was like a weaking who happily punches a stronger guy–who in turn is tied to a post, helpless and unable to swing back. The horribly misplaced interrogation of Reyes was the only time Trillanes could act big. Actually a lot of Navy people in the know would say “Trillanes? Sinusuka yan ng [insert Naval office where he was assigned and booted out]”.
I’ll eventually repost the dates and actual titles/post assignments after I confirm them. And even then, I don’t take my word for it. You guys know the branch of service and the office that I would name tomorrow, so you could do your own research to prove my claims. 😉
“I don’t take my word for it.” typo, just remove the “I”. Lols.
I like this: “he was like a weaking who happily punches a stronger guy–who in turn is tied to a post, helpless and unable to swing back“. I’m gonna re-tweet it. 🙂
@ benign0
Haha sure, feel free.Â
—
In any case, Trillanes’ post where he was removed and put into floating status (because he was doing his masterals and responsibilities without permission) was as the Procurement Officer in the Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales. Yeah, he was a real bright boy for putting his personal agenda (his masterals) before his assigned post, and inconveniencing his subordinates and dealers in the process, not to mention compromising the office because of his ambitious shenanigans. So yeah, he got removed from the procurement post (because he was useless) and was replaced with someone else.
All things considered, I’ll reiterate what I said: Trillanes was like a weaking who happily punches a stronger guy–who in turn is tied to a post, helpless and unable to swing back. He’s a no-gooder who, when it comes down to it, could never measure up to Reyes in achievements. The least Trillanes could do was to give Reyes due respect as he was not yet proven of any guilt–but what did he do? Acting high and mighty when in reality he’s no different from your average bulakbols who don’t do their jobs right.
I can’t believe we were paying for his salary when he was sitting pretty in jail, too.
this is what happens when an incompetent nobody is suddenly given an important post. Â they turn into bullies or arrogant airheads (with more expensive cars). Â :p
We have stupid military adventurists; who have never proved themselves in battles; acting that they are:courageous, honorable and brave. Did these people have any battlefield experiences? No Sir. Their battlefield experiences are: coup d’ etats. If we just ignore these stupid garbage soldiers, who pretend to be brave. It would be better…
It will be embarrassing if our country gets invaded in a certain future and lost easily by a bunch of theifs in the military.
Its not embarrassing as it is more of reality. These officials play the deferral of responsibility game and they would just watch the citizens take arms themselves to do what is right and rational in a situation like that. Then twist the situation around when the cameras are on them in an effort to play to their supposed plight.
The President and the Senate now seem to be distancing themselves from Antonio Trillanes
Read full article here!
ang daming umiidolo sa kay TROLLanes. Gah.
They even IDOLIZE a Whore…why are you surprised?…Wowoowee Mentality…
Can you see how the Aquino administration, divert the attention of people? They used Allied Politicians, to conduct WitchHunts; and dig Garbages on their Political Enemies. The Oligarch Media, put these Political Circus Spectacles on their Forefront News. Important Legislations to help people have better lives, and solve the country’s problems are put behind. These IDIOTS are only interested on their own EGOES ; their own GARBAGES and MISDEEDS.
WE WANT TO STOP THIS CIRCUS…We want Noynoy Aquino to put down the prices of Gasoline, Prime Commodities and Basic Necessities…Toll Cost Expenses has gone up already; without even a complain from the people…
Prices of fuel rose 10 pesos since October 2010, yet I dont see any rallies?!
Toll fee rates, power rates, water rates…theyve risen significantly, yet I dont see any rallies…
The only protest I saw was during PNOYs bday, I saw them in mendiola and theyre just militant students with cheap banners.
Where are the well-funded protesters we used to see during GMA’s term. We used to see them with consistently bright yellow banners each time gasoline would rise .50 cents.
PNOY has covered the Leftist-problem when he made them his advisers.
“Hakot” Demonstrators, like Mubarak, camel-riding counter-demonstrators…see how you connect the dots on EDSA I uprising?
Jealousy or not, Angelo Reyes’ suspicious exit speaks volume as to the probability of him being involved on questionable activities in the previous admin.