“I’m not a saint.”
—General Angelo Reyes
By Alex P. Vidal
IT is rare for a high-ranking Filipino public official to commit suicide after being caught in a web of corruption scandal.
Except for Angelo Reyes and Maria Catalina Cabral, no other known public official of national stature in the Philippines has chosen the route to perdition to escape prosecution and permanent shame and scandal if they were alive.
Reyes, 65, a retired general, shot himself in the head in the cemetery in 2011 after being linked to graft and corruption in the military funds. Cabral, 63, reportedly jumped to her death at a cliff along Kennon Road in Tuba Town in Benguet, Philippines.
She was a key player in the flood control project anomalies.
Instead of killing themselves, other Filipino officials linked to massive graft and corruption endured humiliation and waited for public anger to subside before running for public office again.
Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, my town mate in Dao, Capiz (the province of my late father), was also embroiled in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam before the 2004 elections.
He was mocked, hunted like a Guanaco deer in the wilderness, and condemned like a Bondi beach terrorist but did not kill himself.
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Instead of being ashamed, the former agriculture undersecretary used the “popularity” he gained from trying to overcome the scandal and ran unsuccessfully for Capiz governor in the 2010 general elections under the local party Ugyon Kita Capiz (Unite Capiz). He was soundly clobbered by incumbent governor Victor A. Tanco.
Thick-faced Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also did not end her own life when slapped with a P366-million plunder case over the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds; she was also charged in the Malampaya fund scam.
Instead of being ashamed, the former president ran for congresswoman in Pampanga and won. She even became House speaker after licking the butts of then President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018.
After being convicted of plunder in 2007 for receiving kickbacks from illegal gambling operations (“juetengate”), Joseph "Erap" Estrada didn’t shoot or hang himself to dodge humiliation.
In fact, he ran for president again in 2010 and was defeated by Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
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The ex-convict, who was a matinee idol in Philippine showbiz in the 60s, was also prosecuted and landed in the slammer for misusing public funds, though he was later pardoned. He is still alive as of this writing and continued to be unfazed by the scandal that rocked his scandalous political life.
Jejomar Binay, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, all tarnished by graft and corruption issues, also didn’t commit hara kiri to save face.
Despite being implicated in an alleged overpricing scandal involving the Makati City Parking Building II, the former vice president also ran and lost to Duterte for president in 2016.
Jinggoy, Erap’s son, and Bong, son of the late movie action star and former senator Ramon, were also charged in the pork barrel scam of Janet Napoles but managed to run and win again in the senate.
Flood control scam fugitive Zaldy Co, who is on the run, also has not committed suicide.
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CRUNCH TIME. Holiday shopping may flatten our wallet, but it could also trim our belly. As we comb the racks, let's stand tall and squeeze our stomach muscles for five seconds (pretend we're bracing ourselves to lift a heavy box). We've just done the equivalent of one sit-up, says physiologist Pete McCall, of the American Council on Exercise.
BRAIN FOOD. We could cut the risk of Alzheimer's disease by a whopping 42 percent Columbia University researchers found when they analyzed the diets of 2,136 adults over 65 that meal plans with highest intake of lefty greens, tomatoes, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower plus fish, nuts, and vinaigrette-type salad dressing, with only small amounts of full-fat dairy products, cut their odds of Alzheimer's.
The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality has defined 8 major components of "optimal sexuality." Based on interviews with 44 individuals who reported having great sex, plus 20 sex therapists, a team of researchers identified 8 key factors--being present, connection, deep sexual and erotic intimacy, extraordinary communication, interpersonal risk taking and exploration, authenticity, vulnerability and transcendence.
SLEEPING HOURS. Normal sleep is eight hours, health experts say. Oversleep can cause severe headache. Doctors suggest a banana and fresh milk for those who have less sleep (especially for those who slept less than six hours).
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)
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