Crisis calls for FVR.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan

DEFENSE Secretary Angelo Reyes tendered his resignation to help defuse the tension with some sectors in the military. For this he has to be saluted. It was an act of patriotism. I have always believed, however, that much of the clamor for his ouster came from the opposition which blamed him to a large degree for the military's withdrawal of support from President Estrada on Jan. 19, 2001. The opposition had to get Reyes out by hook or by crook, out of revenge.

One thing that can be said about Reyes, whom I knew from his days in civil-military relations, is that he is one of the most articulate and intellectual officers to come out of the armed forces. His fluency and articulateness in English were always welcome in a service so badly wanting of articulate and coherent people, and it enabled him to ably represent the country abroad. Reyes set a style to doing things, but more than that, he had a good intellectual grasp of problems bedeviling the military, and we in the media had very fruitful exchanges with him. Pity that few understood him.

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As to the idea of former President Fidel Ramos as new defense secretary, I tested this at Speaker Jose de Venecia's welcome lunch for the visiting chair of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Congress of China, Wu Bangguo, and everyone felt it would be excellent. As JDV said, FVR is Asia's top soldier-statesman; in addition, he is acceptable to the broad spectrum of the military which holds him in high esteem. Appointing him would also boost investors' confidence. It might be a big sacrifice on his part, considering he's moving to a "lower" position, but as they say, "grandes males, grandes remedios."

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