Wycoco succumbs to stroke

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Reynaldo Wycoco died yesterday after three weeks in a coma due to a severe stroke. He was 59.

His chief physician, cardiologist Dante Morales, said Wycoco died at 6:16 p.m. in the intensive care unit of the Manila Doctors Hospital in Ermita.

His wife Lucila, their four children and his brother, Superintendent Edgar Wycoco of the Manila Police District, were by his side.

"He died of anoxic encelophalopathy, meaning that there was lack of oxygen in the brain. He also had a brain-dead (condition) which is secondary to cardiopulmonary arrest due to intra-cerebral hemorrhage," said Morales.

"We did our best and (administered) aggressive treatment but we were not able to revive him." Doctors tried for two hours to bring him back, Morales said.

Wycoco suffered cardiac arrest last Thursday and doctors resuscitated him.

His family never lost hope even though doctors delivered a grim prognosis.

Wycoco collapsed while in a meeting at the NBI headquarters on Nov. 23 and was rushed to the nearby hospital on UN Avenue.

Doctors said he suffered hemorrhagic stroke caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm. They said Wycoco’s condition was "grave" and warned the family that no surgery could save him.

NBI officer-in-charge Nestor Mantaring expressed the agency’s condolences to the Wycoco family, saying they also share his loss. "May he rest in peace."

Malacañang officials expressed shock and sadness over Wycoco’s death, saying he would be very difficult to replace.

"We have lost a good man and a true professional. He brought winds of change to the NBI," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. "We hope that his successor will continue his good work."

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said as a "fellow civil servant, friend and Filipino," he was deeply saddened by Wycoco’s passing. He said he had no doubt that many Filipinos feel "the same profound sense of loss."

"His record and reputation as a dedicated law enforcer, an honest public official and a true gentleman will be very difficult to match, replace or forget," Claudio said.

Speaker Jose de Venecia said Wycoco was "one of the great anti-crime fighters of the Philippines and of Southeast Asia" and he hopes that Mrs. Arroyo would be able to appoint "someone as good as Director Wycoco."

"He was courageous but at the same time he was a diplomat and he has waged an effective campaign against drug lords, gambling lords and transnational criminals," De Venecia said.

NBI assistant director for administration Mantaring was temporarily put in charge until Wycoco’s successor could be named.

He remembers Wycoco as "one of the best directors the NBI ever had. He was good in management and was the one who thought of having satellite offices for renewing NBI clearances. Using a mobile, they would travel to provinces to provide the public easier access to the NBI’s service."

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he had known Wycoco as a "very dedicated and committed officer" since Wycoco’s days in the police during the martial law years.

Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to appoint Wycoco to the NBI and keep him there showed her trust and confidence in him, Ermita said as he extended the government’s condolences to the Wycoco family.

Wycoco was appointed on Jan. 23, 2001, shortly after Mrs. Arroyo took over the presidency from Joseph Estrada, who was toppled by a military-backed popular uprising that month.

Government Mass Media Group head Secretary Cerge Remonde also mourned Wycoco’s passing, saying: "When a great colleague and public servant like Director Wycoco dies, we all die a little."

"His death is a grim reminder about the health hazards in public service," Remonde said.

Among those reportedly being eyed to replace Wycoco are former retired police chief superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, who is now regional director of the National Capital Region’s Land Transportation Office.

Another candidate reportedly being considered is former Philippine National Police chief Edgardo Aglipay.

Wycoco turned 59 only last Nov. 10.

He is the fourth NBI director to die on the job since Antonio Aragon, NBI chief during the administration of Fidel Ramos died in the mid-1990s.

Santiago Toledo and Federico Opinion, who both headed the bureau during the Estrada administration, died in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

Wycoco was a native of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija and a son of a former police chief of the town. He was the eldest of 10 children and graduated valedictorian in elementary and high school.

He entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), graduated in 1968 and joined the Philippine National Police.

He obtained his master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1980. — With Paolo Romero, Aurea Calica