International media organizations welcomed the conviction by the anti-graft court of former Palawan governor Joel T. Reyes, alleged mastermind behind the 2011 murder of Palawan broadcaster and good governance advocate Dr. Gerry Ortega.
Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a statement said that Reyes’ conviction of graft charges is “one step closer to justice” for the assassination of Ortega.
The Sandiganbayan found Reyes guilty of 11 counts of graft for irregularities involving more than 200 government contracts during his term as Palawan’s chief executive.
The case started in March 2017 when Reyes and 41 others were charged for anomalies in 209 contracts funded by P1.53 billion in royalties from the Malampaya gas field in 2008 and 2009.
Reyes, along with several others including former Palawan quality control division head Alfredo Padua, engineers Rolly Matudio and Bayani Buenaventura, were sentenced to 110 years in prison.
Ortega’s exposes on the irregularities supposedly led to his assassination in January 2011, alleged to have been masterminded by Reyes.
“The conviction stands as a significant acknowledgment of Ortega’s investigative work and reinforces his demands for accountability and justice,” the press freedom organizations said in a statement on Tuesday, August 5.
Reyes’ conviction represent a significant step on the road to justice for Ortega, the groups said.
“Crucially, the verdict also affirms the importance of Ortega’s journalistic work,” the groups further said, adding Reyes’ trial for the Ortega murder must proceed without undue delay. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
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The Ortega family has yet to respond to Kodao’s requests for a reaction to Reyes’ conviction. We will update the story as soon as they do.)
