P100K reward offered for info on ex-Palawan gov Reyes

THE Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) is offering a P100,000 cash reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, who has been identified as the mastermind in the 2011 murder of Puerto Princesa City broadcast journalist Gerardo Valeriano “Doc Gerry” Ortega.

Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) Executive Director Paul Gutierrez said in his recent talks with PAOCC chef Gilbert Cruz, they agreed the case has dragged on far too long and that “justice has been denied to him (Ortega) and his family far too long.”

Gutierrez said that with the reward offer, the PTFoMS and PAOCC are confident the subsequent arrest of Reyes would be realized.

“While any act of violence, especially murder, deserves condemnation, it is not enough. Let us all work together in proving that no one is above the law by raising the reward for the arrest of Reyes,” he said.

The Supreme Court last year canceled the bail posted by Reyes and ordered him re-arrested to face trial for the killing of Ortega.

The High Court also granted Reyes’ motion to transfer the venue of the trial to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

Gutierrez said that last June 10, he and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla met with the private counsels of the Ortega family to discuss the developments in the case.

He also appealed to Reyes to surrender and respect the country’s judicial process.

Ortega was gunned down outside a local store in Puerto Princesa City on January 4, 2011.