Despondent

From Philstar.

Things took an unexpected and tragic turn Tuesday morning. Angelo Reyes, decorated soldier and controversial public servant, took his own life with a bullet to the heart.

Outwardly tough and battle-scarred, Reyes was among the last persons one would expect to succumb to the temptation of suicide. But the last few weeks have been very severe on the man, the severity magnified by a popular culture entertained by trials by publicity and always ready to believe the worst of the best of men.

The son of schoolteachers, Reyes had only known the life of a public servant. From childhood, he maintained a demonstrated passion to excel. Those who knew him well described him as a perfectionist. He took pride at being impeccably at his best.

The perfectionist, however, worked in an imperfect system. If the accusations leveled against him are true, the perfectionist succumbed to the imperfections of the system. There was simply too much to gain from the imperfections, too little profit to be reaped from warring against the system.

Full article here.