Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — They hid and then they were found. But the family of environmentalist and journalist Gerry Ortega is far from rejoicing about the arrest of the suspects in his murder.
They know that Joel and Mario Reyes will do everything in their power to stay out of jail.
The Ortega family is painfully aware that it’s going to be a long and hard fight for justice.
“We know na hindi dito nagtatapos ang laban bagamat alam namin na umuusad na yung hustisya… Alam namin na ang magkapatid ay gagawin nila ang lahat ng makakaya nila para hindi po sila makulong,” Mika Ortega, daughter of the slain journalist said.
The case is caught in a convoluted legal tangle that hangs on the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) on whether or not the murder trial now pending at the Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court (RTC) should proceed.
Without this final ruling, the Reyes brothers have to face trial in Palawan, in the meantime.
Related: Ortega murder: Authorities fly suspects Reyes brothers to Palawan
“Unless the Supreme Court can come out with a resolution in the next few days the RTC in Puerto is constraint to go ahead with the proceedings. So matutuloy po yang arraignment, matutuloy po yung petition for bail,” Demi Custodio, lawyer of the Reyes brothers said.
He added that his clients will plead not guilty.
Flight means guilt?
For security reasons, Custodio said he will ask the court to move custody from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Palawan.
Before the two went missing, the Court of Appeals had cleared them of charges due to a technicality — after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima created a second panel of prosecutors to handle the Ortega slay case.
De Lima made the move after the Ortega family asked for a review of the case since the original panel had cleared the Reyes brothers of the charge.
The appellate court argued De Lima should have acted on the family’s petition for review instead of creating a new panel just to get a “favorable outcome.”
De Lima elevated the case before the Supreme Court.
When asked if “flight means guilt” applies to his clients, Custodio said that the two were “trying to flee from injustice.”
“What do I mean by that? They are unjustly charged. And that they have been framed by people charging them. And because the charge is unbailable they do not want to have to go through the process of incarceration when there’s no valid charge against them,” said Custodio.
But the Ortega family finds this ironic.
“What is more unjust yung mastermind na pumatay sa aking ama nakatakas. Matagal bago nahanap. Pagbalik dito meron pang pag-aagam-agam ang aming pamilya kung makakamit ba talaga namin yung hustisya dahil merong teknikalidad,” Mika said.
