Philippine ex-army head Angelo Reyes 'commits suicide' Published duration 8 February 2011

image caption General Angelo Reyes was head of the armed forces under President Estrada

A former Philippine military chief who had recently been accused of high-level corruption has died after apparently taking his own life.

Retired general Angelo Reyes is thought to have killed himself with a single gunshot to the chest.

In recent weeks, a Congressional inquiry has been hearing allegations of how Gen Reyes embezzled more than $1m (£620,000) from state funds.

Allegations of corruption often blight the poorly-paid, badly-equipped army.

Early on Tuesday, witnesses saw Gen Reyes arrive in a cemetery in Manila.

They said he went to his mother's grave, then sent his children back to the car, before a single shot rang out.

The 65-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

Gen Reyes was an influential figure; he was head of the armed forces under President Joseph Estrada, and went on to hold various government posts.

But recently he had been making headline news in a different way, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila.

A former military budget officer told a Congressional hearing that several key army figures, including the general, had siphoned off enormous amounts of money for their own personal gain.

Gen Reyes is accused of getting more than $1m when he left his post - the amount allegedly had to be converted from Philippine pesos into dollars because it was too bulky to carry.

Corruption allegations against the uniformed forces are nothing new, although they rarely involve this amount of money.