Ortega family to hold protest at appellate court

THE family of murdered broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega will hold a protest rally on Monday in front of the Court of Appeals (CA) for it to hold its ground on the guilt of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes.

Michaela Ortega, daughter and spokesperson for the family, asked the CA not to be swayed by maneuverings of the Reyes brothers to nullify the arrest warrants already issued by the Puerto Princesa regional trial court.

The rally will be led by the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines and other sympathizers of the Ortega family.

“While the fight for justice has been long and hard and while we have had some small victories, we still have a very steep climb ahead of us. But despite the pull of gravity, we continue to climb, hoping against hope that we will reach the summit eventually if we push with unassailable determination,” Michaela said.

The Reyes brothers have filed a petition at the CA seeking to stop the Puerto Princesa court from implementing the arrest warrants against them and to drop the murder charges by reversing the finding of probable cause by the trial court.

The former governor reportedly left the country last March 18 via a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Vietnam using a doctored passport under the name of Joseph Lim Pe, along with his brother, and their lawyer.

“We see no reasons why the CA should not validate the findings and uphold the case of DOJ against the fugitive brothers. We hope that the power and influence of fugitive brothers will not sway the men and women in CA to decide in favor of the controversial murder suspects,” Michaela said.

The family likewise called on the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs to probe the Reyeses’ alleged escape.

Meanwhile, the Kalikasan party-list urged the DOJ to file additional criminal cases against the fugitive brothers in connection with their reported flight out of the country. (JCV/Sunnex)