De Lima: No development yet for the arrest of 'Big 5'

MANILA -- Not even a P2-million bounty can help law enforcement agencies from arresting high-profile fugitives, referred to as the "Big 5," who have been tagged in cases such as murder, kidnapping and syndicated estafa.

Wanted for months now are former military general Jovito Palparan, former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and brother Coron mayor Mario Reyes, housing developer Delfin Lee of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corporation and ex-Dinagat Island Representative Ruben Ecleo Jr.

Palparan has been accused in the enforced disappearance of University of the Philippines student-activists in 2006, the Reyes brothers in the murder of environmentalist/radio commentator Gerry Ortega last year, and Lee for allegedly using ghost borrowers and fake documents to obtain over P6.5 billion in loans from Pag-Ibig.

Ecleo, on the other hand, was convicted by a Cebu City court for killing his wife in 2002.

"There was a proposal to increase the reward. Why are there no takers? Is P2 million a small amount?" de Lima asked late Tuesday.

So far, de Lima said only the Reyes brothers managed to escape the country as she has yet to verify information that the two were able to enter the United States after being tracked in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

"They have not been issued US visas and their passports had been cancelled," she said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)