Former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with the murder of broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega in 2011.
Ortega, a known critic of Reyes’ administration, was an environmentalist and a staunch opponent of corruption in Palawan, particularly concerning issues of illegal mining and misuse of public funds.
The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) confirmed Reyes’ surrender.
Ortega was shot dead on January 24, 2011, in Puerto Princesa City. Reyes and his brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, were accused of masterminding the killing to silence Ortega’s vocal criticisms of the government.
In 2015, the Reyes brothers fled the country but were arrested in Thailand later that year. They were temporarily released in 2018 after the Court of Appeals ruled insufficient evidence to hold them for trial.
However, the Supreme Court reversed this ruling in March 2023, reinstating the arrest warrant.
Palawan RTC Branch 52 Presiding Judge Angelo Arizala issued the warrant on July 20, 2023, which led to Reyes’ decision to surrender. The case continues to draw attention as part of the broader issue of violence against journalists in the Philippines.