A source from the Philippine National Police’s Task Force Usig, a tracker group assigned to catch high-profile fugitives, said the Reyes brothers had always been wanted for the slaying of Palawan environmentalist and journalist Dr Gerry Ortega.
Advertisement
“We got the confirmation from the Interpol Manila, particularly the National Control Board (NCB). I got the information last night but I told BI to double check and to verify before we make an announcement”, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters in a chance interview.
She also revealed that Thai immigration authorities have started deportation proceedings of the fugitives to Manila.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued the passport for one Joseph Lim Pe on February 3, 2012. She added however they have no information on the circumstances.
Ortega, a hard-hitting broadcaster and a known environmental crusader in Palawan, was shot dead by a lone assassin along the downtown area of this city on January 24, 2011.
Ortega’s widow Patty lamented that it has been four years since the killing but until now authorities have yet to determine the whereabouts of the Reyes brothers.
A second panel upheld the murder charges.
Still, her family keeps “a guarded sense of hope”. “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.
Gerardo Ortega was a critic of local officials in the province of Palawan and opposed large-scale mining in that region.
Asked where the brothers would be detained, De Lima said it was up to the court.
The brothers, who are yet to be charged, have denied the murder accusation, saying their political opponents were behind the charges.
Another division of the CA had also cleared former mayor Reyes. 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.
“Joel was carrying (documents with) a surname Pe while his brother carried Gatchalian”, the source said.
The brothers went missing in early 2012 after an arrest warrant was issued for them and had initially fled to Vietnam and then Thailand, officials said.
With the arrest of the suspects, Malacañang said the government can now pursue justice for the slain environmentalist.
“We acknowledge the efforts of Interpol and Thai authorities in making this possible”, Coloma said.
He thanked Interpol and the Thai police for their help in arresting the Reyes brothers, but did not provide further details.
Advertisement
Pol Maj Gen Akradej said both Reyes brothers confessed to having fled their arrest warrants to hide in Thailand, but said they were ready to be deported home fight the case.
