MANILA: The widow of murdered environmental activist and radio journalist Dr Gerardo “Gerry” Ortega yesterday challenged former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, to come out of hiding if they believe the Court of Appeals has cleared them of criminal charges.
Speaking for the first time since the CA decision, Patricia Gloria Ortega said the Reyes brothers should now appear in public if they truly believe the CA’s ruling on Tuesday had exonerated them of the charges. “Come out and surrender to the court, that’s where you can prove that you have nothing to do with my husband’s murder. Your continued disappearance is only a sign of admission of guilt,” she said at a press conference in Makati City.
Mrs Ortega also vowed to continue with her fight to find justice for her husband’s murder. She also dared Ferdinand Topacio, the lawyer of the Reyes brothers, to convince his clients to come out.
“Atty Topacio, if you really believe that your clients are innocent of the charges, then you should exert everything and ask them to surface and face the charges,” she said. Mrs Ortega also accused Topacio of allegedly spreading misinformation about the CA’s ruling.
“We entertained the thought that our efforts of finding justice for the past 22 months had all been for naught as we were initially led to believe that the warrants of arrest against the Reyes brothers have been quashed and that the two will surface soon,” she added.
However, Mrs Ortega said their lawyer, Alex Avisado, clarified that the murder case against the brothers is still pending, the arrest warrants against the Reyes’ brothers are still in effect and there is still a P2m ($48,000) reward for each of the fugitive brothers. “The case is still very much alive. We will continue the case,” she said.
Avisado said it is wrong for the Reyes’ camp to claim that the CA ruling already cleared them of the charges. He said what the Appellate Court had decided on was regarding the technicality in the creation of the second panel of prosecutors formed by the Department of Justice.
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