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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has disqualified Mario Joel Reyes as candidate in the Palawan gubernatorial race, which he lost during the May 9, 2022 elections.
In its decision released on Thursday, the division said it found that “Reyes is an escaped prisoner and a fugitive from justice in connection with the charge against him for the crime of murder of broadcaster and environmentalist Gerry Ortega.”
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Reyes, a former governor of Palawan, was tagged as the brains behind the death of Ortega, who was gunned down in Puerto Princesa City in 2011.
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The radio commentator of RMN Palawan had reported on the alleged widespread corruption in the provincial government and misuse of funds in Palawan, which later became part of the Malampaya fund scam.
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Reyes had denied any involvement in the killing.
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In 2018, the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the murder case against him and ordered his release from detention.
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A year later, however, the court reversed its ruling and subsequently reinstated the case.
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The CA also directed the Regional Trial Court of Palawan to issue a warrant of arrest against Reyes and to conduct further proceedings on the case — which has not been resolved to date.
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Last year, in a new twist to the long legal battle, the Supreme Court granted Reyes’ petition for a temporary restraining order against the arrest warrant pending the final adjudication of the murder case.
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Despite Reyes’ loss in the gubernatorial polls, the Comelec said it did not treat the disqualification case as moot and academic, since the Supreme Court had emphasized that it “still presents a justiciable issue” that Comelec needs to resolve.
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The poll body also said it took judicial notice of Reyes’ “intent to evade” the prosecution of the criminal charge. The ex-governor previously went into hiding for years before his arrest in Thailand in 2015.
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Besides his “being a fugitive from justice,” petitioners Nasir Miranda and Mohammad Asgali had also urged Comelec to disqualify Reyes on the ground of his prior conviction by the Sandiganbayan for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
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However, Comelec said Reyes may not be disqualified on the basis of his prior conviction due to the pendency of the motion for reconsideration and “urgent reiterative Omnibus motion” filed by Reyes.
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“The judgment against him in GR. No. 237172 has not yet attained finality and thus, the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification to hold public office will not set in,” the commission said.
