Alleged mastermind in Ortega slay surrenders

MANILA, Philippines — Former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes, the alleged mastermind behind the killing of broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega, has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

This was revealed by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Wednesday evening, September 11, saying that the former official surrendered to the bureau's National Capital Region office. 

The PTFoMS and the NBI have yet to release more details of the surrender.

Ortega, who is also an environmental activist and a critic of Reyes, was gunned down at a thrift shop in Puerto Princesa on Jan. 24, 2011. 

Prior to the shooting, Ortega had just completed his morning radio program, during which he often criticized politicians, including Reyes, whom he accused of corruption and permitting the exploitation of Palawan's forests and minerals.

Reyes ran for Palawan governor in the 2022 elections but lost. In January 2023, it was determined that he should have been disqualified from running in the first place due to his status as "a fugitive from justice."

The former governor, along with his brother, current Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, left the country in 2012. They were apprehended in Thailand in 2015.

The Court of Appeals then ruled in favor of the former governor in 2018, but the appellate court’s ruling was reversed a year later which resulted in the revival of the trial. 

In July 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the re-arrest of Reyes after the tribunal found that the lower courts did not commit grave abuse of discretion in finding the former governor liable for the killing of Ortega. 

The high court also permitted the transfer of his trial from Palawan to a Quezon City court in January this year, citing risks in his locality. 

Aside from the Ortega slay, Reyes is also facing graft charges before the SandiganBayan due to alleged misuse of the Malampaya funds.