Reyes brothers set to arrive in Phl today
Fugitive former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, former Coron mayor Mario Reyes, are expected to arrive in the country early today after being deported for violation of immigration laws in Thailand.
The brothers, who are accused in the murder of environmentalist and radio broadcaster Gerry Ortega in 2011, will arrive aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 733 at 3:20 a.m., according to sources.
They are escorted by a police team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said they would be making an announcement as soon as the Reyes brothers arrive for their detention.
“Once we present ( them) to the media, we will provide complete details of their arrest,” he said.
Mayor added the Reyes brothers could be detained temporarily at the custodial center at Camp Crame pending orders from the court in Palawan where they are facing charges of murder.
Mayor gave assurance the PNP is ready to secure the Reyes brothers.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Reyes brothers would be detained either at Camp Crame or in the National Bureau of Investigation until the Puerto Princesa regional trial court decides where they will be detained.
The arrest came after De Lima received a petition, signed by over 30,000 individuals, asking her to prioritize the prosecution of the Reyes brothers.
Ortega’s widow Patty earlier lamented it has been four years since the killing but authorities had yet to determine the whereabouts of the Reyes brothers.
The brothers fled the country following the filing of murder charges against them.
Mrs. Ortega also lamented De Lima has not acted on their pending petition for review seeking the reversal of the resolution issued by the first panel of prosecutors in 2011 that junked the murder charges against the Reyes brothers.
The Ortega family is asking De Lima to resolve the pending petition before she steps down from office and seeks a senatorial post in next year’s election.
The widow added that her family remains hopeful that De Lima would keep her promise to be fair in resolving the case, noting the former Palawan governor was her client when she was an election lawyer.
Ortega was a vocal critic of local officials for their alleged misuse of funds derived from the operation of the Malampaya gas field in Palawan.
The Court of Appeals issued a ruling in October 2014 directing De Lima to resolve the petition for review filed by the Ortega family.
It junked the petition filed by the former Palawan governor seeking to prohibit the Office of the Secretary of Justice from conducting further proceedings in a preliminary investigation in connection with the case.