Ex-Cabinet exec remembers Reyes as a singing buddy

Former Senator Joey Lina Jr. is mourning the death of his fellow “tenor," Angelo Reyes, a former Defense secretary who died from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest Tuesday morning. “Bilang kasamahan sa Gabinete at kasama sa pag-awit, ako po ay nagpapahayag ng pakikiramay at kalungkutan sa mga naiwan ni Secretary Reyes," Lina said in an interview on radio dzMM. (As a fellow Cabinet official and a singing companion, I am extending my condolences to the family of Secretary Reyes.) Lina and Reyes were two-thirds of the “Manila’s Three Tenors" with former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando. They were named after the famous operatic trio of Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and the late Luciano Pavarotti. Since 2003, the three have been crooning their way to the public’s hearts by singing all-time classics, usually in fund-raising events and concerts. One of the last performances of Manila’s Three Tenors was in 2009 at a benefit concert paying tribute to the Beatles.

“Ang light moment ko kasama siya ay kapag kami ay kumakanta [sa] charitable works. Sa performances, magkakasama kami," said Lina, who was Interior and Local Government secretary when Reyes was Defense chief during the Arroyo administration. (My light moment with him was when we sang in charitable works. We performed together.) Lina said he was on his way to work when he heard of Reyes’ death. “Ako po ay nabigla, nalungkot at nanlumo (I was shocked, saddened, and felt weak in the knees)," he said. Reyes, who held other Cabinet positions after his stint at the Department of National Defense (DND), was visiting his parents’ graves at Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina when shot. A witness said Reyes, also a former military chief of staff, was alone when he fell. Reyes’ family has yet to comment on the cause of his death. [See related: Reyes family to media: Respect our privacy] Lina said he would never forget how much Reyes loved his mother. “Laging kasama niya ang magulang niya kapag may concert kami. Laging kasama niya ang mahal na ina niya (He always brought his parents to our concerts, especially his mother)," he said. Days before Reyes’ death, he appeared before a Senate investigation on the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Reyes was accused of receiving about P100 million while in active service, including P50 million allegedly given to him as “pabaon" (send-off money) when he bowed out of service in 2001. - KBK, GMA News