Former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes Jr., have been placed on the “red notice” alert of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
The Reyes brothers, accused in the murder of broadcast journalist and environmental activist Gerardo “Doc Gerry” Ortega, are the only two of five suspects still at large. The other suspects had either surrendered or were arrested.
The red notices on the Reyeses were posted on the Interpol website. The France-based organization is a world network of police offices in 190 countries, including the Philippines.
Ortega’s family hailed Interpol’s move.
“While speculations arose that the brothers had left the country illegally, this development surely gives us much hope that eventually they will be captured and tried in a court of law. It has been almost two months since they were considered fugitives from the law in this country. Now they are seen as fugitives by the international community as well,” said Ortega’s daughter Mika in a statement.
Mika called on the Reyeses to “surrender immediately and peacefully.”
“The mere fact that they remain fugitives to this day does not do anything to convince our family and the people of the Philippines of their innocence. Much like guilt, innocence can only be proven in a court of law. And our family will not stop until the perpetrators of my father’s murder are behind bars,” she said.
The case against the suspects was filed by the Department of Justice in the Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court in March.
Ortega, 47, was shot dead on Jan. 24, 2011, in a used clothing store in Puerto Princesa City. He had been a staunch advocate for the environment and attacked malfeasance on his radio show. Jerome Aning