Former Philippine army chief 'commits suicide'

A former Philippine military chief apparently committed suicide yesterday at his mother's grave, after facing accusations of skimming money from the army.

Retired General Angelo Reyes, 65, was pronounced dead on arrival at a Manila hospital from a single gunshot wound in the chest.

General Reyes, who headed the military from 2001 to 2003, was at the centre of a congressional inquiry into an armed forces corruption scandal after a retired budget officer claimed that huge amounts had been diverted from key military units into a kitty for illegal pay-offs.