Reyes brothers to seek quashing of arrest warrants in Ortega slay case

Family, relatives and supporters of Dr. Gerry Ortega picket at the Court of Appeals in to urge the CA to uphold the arrest warrants issued by the Puerto prinsesa regional Trial Court against ex-Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and Coron Mayor Mario Reyes. The CA issued a ruling Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, nullifying the murder case against the brothers. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The lawyers of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, will ask the Court of Appeals to issue a clear order quashing the arrest warrants against the Reyes brothers in connection with the murder of Palawan environmentalist and broadcaster Gerry Ortega.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said on Wednesday their legal team would ask the court within the week to issue a “clear-cut pronouncement” quashing the warrants of arrest against the Reyes brothers in connection with the 2011 Ortega killing to prevent sectors from “misinterpreting” a Court of Appeals ruling against the move of the Department of Justice to indict the brothers.  The appellate court has invalidated the creation of the second DOJ panel that found probable cause for the filing of murder charges against his clients.

At the weekly Fernandina forum in San Juan City, Topacio said that the petition would be filed on Thursday or sometime within the week.

He said it would be up to the defense’s chief legal counsel, Demetrio Custodio Jr., to determine where this would be filed.

According to Topacio, the “definitive statement” would correct what he said was the wrong  interpretation of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and the Ortega camp, among others, of the ruling.

Lacierda and the family of Ortega and their supporters have said that the Court of Appeals ruling did not automatically mean that the murder charges and warrants of arrest against former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and Coron Mayor Mario Reyes had already been dropped.

“The decision is clear … What prevents (the Reyeses) from surfacing is the stupidity of some sectors in misinterpreting the Court of Appeals decision,” Topacio said.

The lawyer added that the Reyeses could not surface as of yet because President Benigno Aquino himself had ordered an intensified manhunt against them, despite the ruling.

Topacio said the recent public announcement of the Ortega camp that the P2 million bounty on the Reyeses still stood also prevented them from coming out.

“We are doing what we can to keep them from physical danger,” Topacio explained.

Topacio, did not say, however, whether the Reyeses would surface should the court issue the pronouncement.