We want Reyes brothers in handcuffs, say Ortegas
REYES BROTHERS CAPTURED Thai police present former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes (seated, right) and his younger brother Mario, alleged masterminds in the murder of broadcaster Gerry Ortega, at a press conference in Bangkok after their arrest on the island resort town of Phuket. The brothers, who hid on the island for three years, are set to be deported to the Philippines. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
“I want to see them handcuffed and facing a court and in jail,” Patria Gloria “Patty” Ortega, widow of slain Palawan journalist Gerry Ortega, said upon learning that the suspected masterminds in the murder of her husband had been arrested in Thailand.
She expressed relief but said she was worried about whether former Palawan Gov. Joel T. Reyes and his brother, Mario Reyes, former mayor of Coron town, could still evade justice.
“We still feel anxiety. Our judicial system is not that fast. We know our opponents have a lot of advantages. They have money, influence. They slipped through immigration. So it is not far from our thoughts that something else might happen,” Patty said.
Patty initially doubted the veracity of the reported capture. “Until we see them in handcuffs and in the custody of local authorities, we shall remain hoping,” she said.
Ortega, an environment and anticorruption crusader, was a vocal critic of local officials for their alleged misuse of funds derived from the operation of the Malampaya gas field in Palawan. He was shot near his veterinary clinic on Jan. 24, 2011.
Article continues after this advertisement“At the very least, we hope their capture will expedite the ongoing trial of the case,” Michaela Ortega, the slain journalist’s eldest daughter, told the Inquirer on Monday.
Article continues after this advertisement“We want to make sure that they get deported immediately, that they get detained in regular detention facilities and that they face the courts,” Michaela said.
Info from Interpol
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) commander, Maj. Gen. Akradej Pimolsri, said on Monday that Joel Reyes, 63, and his brother, Mario, 54, were arrested on Sunday following a tip from Interpol, reported the Bangkok Post.
The brothers slipped out of the Philippines sometime in March 2012 after the Department of Justice indicted the pair for murder and a Palawan court issued warrants for their arrests. Each has a P2-million reward on their heads.
The fugitives had been living in a rented house in Rawai of Phuket’s Muang district since 2012.
Akradej said the two would initially be charged under the Immigration Act as Joel Reyes entered the country illegally and Mario had overstayed his visa.
Once prosecuted under the Immigration Act, the fugitives would be deported back to the Philippines to stand trial, he said.
Akradej said the brothers confessed they fled to Thailand after the arrest warrants were issued.
They said they were ready to be deported home to fight the case. They thanked the Thai authorities and people for their time in Thailand and hoped for a return visit.
Government resolve
Malacañang hailed the arrest of the Reyes brothers. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda quoted President Aquino as having said the arrest “proves the resolve of the government to go after the fugitives.”
Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters “the arrest of the long-wanted Reyes brothers provides an opportunity for pursuing the ends of justice.”
“We acknowledge the efforts of Interpol and Thai authorities in making this possible,” Coloma said.
Mixed emotions
At a news briefing in Makati City on Monday afternoon, Ortega’s wife said her family had mixed emotions upon receiving the news of the capture of the Reyes brothers early Monday.
“There was anxiety and at the same time we were relieved that finally they have been found,” Patty said, noting that the family did not want to believe the news at first since in the previous years they had received false information on the capture of the duo.
Shocked
Ortega’s daughter, Mica, said the family had waited for five years for this day to happen.
“We were shocked with the news because we were not really expecting it and at the same time there is also that guarded sense of hope since we are praying for the wheels of justice to start rolling,” Mica added.
She said that the family was aware that the process would be long but she said they were ready for it.
“But I think that we first need to make sure that the brothers will be immediately deported to the Philippines and second, we hope that they will not receive VIP treatment here and be jailed in a regular detention facility,” Mica said.
Alex Avisado Jr., counsel for the Ortega family, said the arrest of Joel and his brother meant that they had “the chance to secure complete justice”for the murder of Ortega.
In an interview with reporters, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Philippine National Police would have to enforce the warrants of arrests issued against the brothers by Judge Angelo Arizala of the Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court on March 27, 2012.
Detention at NBI or Crame
Asked where the brothers would be detained, De Lima said it was up to the court. While waiting for the court’s order, the brothers could be detained at the National Bureau of Investigation or the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
“They are fugitives and therefore they will be placed in the proper detention (facility). But pending the issuance of the commitment order by the court, they will be confined at the NBI detention facility, or the PNP Custodial Center or the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology,” she added.
The brothers were reported to have fled to Vietnam a few days after they were indicted. After their passports were canceled, they were placed under the Interpol’s red notice.
Petition for trial
On Friday, members of Ortega’s family and several supporters presented a petition paper signed by 30,000 people calling on De Lima to clear the way for the brothers’ trial by resolving a petition for review seeking to reverse the finding of the first panel of prosecutors in 2011 that junked the murder charges against the Reyeses.
A second panel upheld the murder charges. When the panel’s creation was nullified by the Court of Appeals, De Lima elevated the matter to the Supreme Court, where it remains pending.
The Palawan court meted out a life sentence to Marlon Recamata, the confessed gunman in the Ortega killing, in May 2013. One of the suspects, Reyes’ bodyguard Rodolfo Edrad Jr., turned state witness.
Enough evidence
Avisado said the prosecution, given the chance for a fair trial, “has enough evidence to secure a conviction.”
The prosecution still has the principal witness and Edrad, who was allegedly given orders to hire the gunmen and the lookouts for Ortega’s slay, according to the lawyer.
“We received information that Edrad is being offered by the Reyes brothers P50 million just to retract his testimony and that his family will be brought to Canada,” Avisado said.
He, however, said that the main witness had given his word to stick to his testimony though he claimed that he is afraid for the security of his family.
Aside from these concerns, Patty appealed to De Lima to decide on the petition for a review of Ortega’s case which the family filed in 2011.
“We know that this is hard for her because she is a former lawyer of the Reyeses but I think she needs to do what is right,” Patty added.
Should De Lima decide on the petition for review, the technicality issues pending in the Supreme Court regarding the case will not be an issue, according to Avisado.
The Bureau of Immigration is still awaiting the completion of the deportation process of the Reyes brothers, according to Elaine Tan, the bureau’s spokesperson. “There is no date yet (of their return to Manila),” said Tan in a text message to reporters.—With reports from Jerry E. Esplanada, Jaymee T. Gamil, Tina G. Santos and AFP
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