Key suspect in Ortega case surrenders

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—One of the key suspects in last year’s murder of Palawan broadcaster and environmentalist Dr. Gerry Ortega surrendered to police Wednesday night, authorities announced Thursday.

Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn and City Police Chief Supt. Abad Osit announced the surrender of Arturo “Nonoy” Regalado, the personal aide of former Gov. Joel T. Reyes, the alleged mastermind in the Ortega killing who has gone into hiding after an arrest warrant was issued against him by a Palawan court.

Hagedorn said Regalado turned himself in to police in Malate on Wednesday past 11 p.m.

Regalado, a former employee of the provincial capitol when Reyes was governor, has been tagged by investigators as the main contact for the group of hired killers from Pagbilao, Quezon, who performed the hit on Ortega last Jan. 24, 2011 inside a used clothing store in the city.

Regalado presented himself to the National Bureau of Investigation in Palawan the day after Ortega was shot and asked to be placed under voluntary custody, executing an affidavit that implicated Reyes as the mastermind in the killing.

Coordinator

In his affidavit, Regalado narrated his role in coordinating with Rodolfo Edrad Jr., Reyes’ former bodyguard who had recruited Marlon Recamata and two other companions from Pagbilao, Quezon, to kill Ortega.

Edrad, also known as “Bumar,” is currently under the state witness protection program of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and is the government’s lone witness against Reyes.

Regalado had recanted his affidavit when he suddenly left NBI custody and went to Manila supposedly to participate in the initial preliminary investigation of the case. He later issued another affidavit to the first panel of prosecutors at the DOJ, denying participation in the murder.

Police had said that Regalado served as the main contact of the group of confessed gunman Recamata who arrived in Puerto Princesa less than a week before Ortega was gunned down.

Hagedorn added that another Reyes aide, Val Lecias, also a suspect in the case, “has extended surrender feelers” to authorities.

“He (Lecias) might also come out very soon,” the mayor said.

Flight

Hagedorn said authorities were validating reports that Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, also an accused in the Ortega murder case and in hiding, have left the Philippines through Zamboanga and fled to Kuday, Malaysia.

“This is just an unverified report but I understand the police are investigating it,” Hagedorn said.

In a recent interview, the former governor’s wife, now Vice Gov. Clara Reyes, broke her silence on the case, saying her husband went into hiding because of threats to his life.

“He is not hiding to avoid justice,” said the vice governor. “He will surface at the right time when he thinks there is no more threat against him,” she said during a break at the provincial board’s regular session last Tuesday.

Asked what specific threats were directed against her husband and his brother, Mario, the vice governor pointed to messages on the social networking site Facebook posted “by people we don’t even know.”

One of the message the vice governor quoted read: “Pity the children of JTR (Reyes) who stole from the people, a shoot-to-kill order should be out against him, his wife and children.”