Ruminations

News stories abound with speculations and pronouncements surrounding the sudden passing of former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Angelo Reyes. Shock, surprise, anger, sadness, stoicism, ambivalence -- people will inevitably be polarized over what this means for the current investigation on alleged corruption in the AFP.

I am not here though to speculate on whether his death means an admission of guilt or a last stand for his innocence. Things are already muddled enough as it is. I write to ponder on what could have driven this man, with an illustrious career behind him, to to commit this final act of desperation (if indeed he did, which is another theory altogether again).

I cannot even begin to fathom the maelstrom of emotions that he must have been feeling the last few weeks, leading to his final moments in front of the grave of his mother. Whether he was guilty or innocent is not the question I have at this point. Sure, he was in the midst of a raging controversy, one that cut across the highest echelons of power in the country.

But in the end, he was just one man. One whose death left behind a grieving family and saddened friends. Not to mention countless questions that he alone may have had the answers to.

I find myself thinking that in the end, whatever wealth you may have amassed, or power you may have built, all these fade into the shadows when your name, your reputation and your family are put at risk.

In the last moments of one's life, does anybody express regret that he missed out on that one crucial investment, or did not become the CEO of a top-performing company?

In the end, each of us -- the most complex creations -- is stripped away to the barest essentials. In the end, each of us is just a man, who will face the Creator in his own way, and made to account for his life on earth.

I am thankful for the gift of life, and family, and love.