I will not flee, says ex-Palawan governor Joel Reyes

MANILA,  Philippines — Former Palawan governor Joel Reyes on Thursday maintained he has no intention of fleeing the country to evade his pending criminal cases before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

“Alam po ninyo, hindi naman po ako aalis nandito po ako, naniniwala po ako sa rule of law (You know, I will not leave. I am here because I believe in the rule),” Reyes told reporters after attending a hearing at the Sandiganbayan.

Reyes made the statement after the Office of the Ombudsman's prosecution panel filed a motion before the Sandiganbayan Third Division asking the court to cancel his P60,000 bail bond and commit him to prison.

The prosecution's motion filed on January 8, was in connection with Reyes' conviction for a graft case which stemmed from his alleged anomalous renewal of the permit of a small-scale mining company in 2006 found to have been over extracting mineral ore in Palawan.

The prosecution file the motion after Reyes was released from the Puerto Princesa City Jail on Friday last week, as the Court of Appeals dismissed the murder case against him in connection with the killing of journalist and environmentalist Gerry Ortega in January 2011.

The prosecution said Reyes must not be granted provisional liberty as he remains a flight risk given his record of fleeing the country in 2012 just before the Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court issued a warrant of arrest against him and his younger brother, former Coron, Palawan mayor Mario Reyes.

READ: Ombudsman wants Reyes back in prison for graft conviction

Reyes said he is “saddened” by the ombudsman's move which came just a couple of days after his freedom from detention for his murder case.

“Nakakalungkot nga po dahil kalalabas ko lang ng kulungan doon sa isang kasong napakabigat (It's sad, because I have just been released from prison for a very serious case),” Reyes said.

“Nandito po ako para harapin ang kasong ito. (I am here to face this case),” he added referring to his graft case at the Sandiganbayan.

Reyes said fleeing the country in 2012 was against his will, but he was left with no choice as there were threats to his life.

“Ayoko na sana balikan pero napakainit po ng pagkakataon na yun. Meron hong napakaraming threat na dumating sa akin nung pagkakataon na yun so minabuti ko po na magpalipas muna ng panahon para lumitaw at harapin ang kaso ko [As much as possible I no longer want to think about it. I was receiving several threats at that time, so I decided to wait for the proper time to face the case],” Reyes said.

The Reyes brothers were tagged as the masterminds in the killing of Ortega who had been critical of the mining activities in the province. They were arrested in a lavish resort in Phuket, Thailand in September 2015.

Meanwhile, in a hearing Thursday, the Sandiganbayan Third Division, gave Reyes' camp until Monday to comment on the prosecution's motion.

The prosecution was given two days to reply on Reyes' comment after which, the motion is deemed submitted for resolution.

The prosecution moved for an immediate ruling from court without a comment from Reyes, reiterating the former governor's supposed predisposition to flee. Third Division chairman and Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, however, stood firm that the court must hear Reyes' side.

“The court understands your concern given past event that he fled. But at the same time the accused is entitled to be heard. Fair's fair,” Tang said.

Tang, then went on asking assurance from Reyes' lead counsel Demetrio Custodio that his client will evade the case.

“Can you guarantee that Mr. Reyes will not flee until the court has resolved all pending incidents?” Tang asked to which, Custodio replied in the affirmative.

Conflict of interest

Reyes, meanwhile, hits Roque for meddling on his criminal cases.

“I respect secretary Roque but speaking on the issue as a presidential spokesperson, there is seems to be a conflict of interest. His position can easily sway the judiciary and other government agencies. He should not be lawyering because he holds a high cabinet position,” Reyes said in Filipino.

On Wednesday, Roque, who used to be the lawyer of the Ortega family, made a statement commending the ombudsman for moving the cancelation of Reyes bail and his commitment back to prison.

It was in August last year when the Sandiganbayan Third Division found Reyes guilty of graft and sentenced him to six to eight years of imprisonment.

But despite his conviction, the court allowed Reyes' provisional liberty after he posted an additional bond of P30,000 on August 29 on top of the P30,000 bail bond that he posted in 2011 when the case was filed in court.

Reyes' motion for reconsideration on the Third Division's ruling remains pending in court.

Reyes is also facing 36 counts of graft in another division of the Sandiganbayan in connection with the P1.534-billion worth of alleged disadvantageous contracts that the provincial government entered into with various private firms using proceeds from the Malampaya natural gas project. He had earlier posted P1.080-million bail bond for the cases.