Philippine ex-governor, brother arrested in Thailand

De Lima sacked two BI personnel – Administrative aide Rogelo Udarbe Jr. and immigration officer Wesley Gutierrez – for allegedly aiding the Reyes brothers in their escape. “We acknowledge the efforts of Interpol and Thai authorities in making this possible”, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said. We know our opponents have a lot of advantages.

“The arrest of the long wanted Reyes brothers provides an opportunity for pursuing the ends of justice”.

Mrs. Ortega said the arrest of the former Palawan governor and his brother bodes well for all victims of media killings, noting that 30 years since the first recorded case of a journalist being killed in the line of duty, her father’s case is by far the only one wherein a mastermind has been named.

The gunman was caught trying to flee the scene and police said his weapon was owned by one of Joel Reyes’s lawyers.

An early Philippines director with the exceptional brother have also been arrested in Thailand regarding the longstanding assassination of causing significant Filipino reporter and communal lobbyist, Justice Secretary Leila onze Lima declared Monday.

Gerardo Ortega was a critic of local officials in the province of Palawan and opposed large-scale mining in that region.

She said that the family was aware that the process would be long but she said they were ready for it.

Reyes had sought the inhibition of De Lima from resolving the petition for review following her statement alleging that his camp employed “foul tactics and illicit means” in order to get a favorable decision from the appellate court.

The Reyes brothers will soon be deported, a source of this paper at the National Bureau of Investigation said.

“They are fugitives and therefore they will be placed in the proper detention (facility)”.

The brothers were reported to have fled to Vietnam a few days after they were indicted.

Authorities offered a P2-million reward each for their arrest, and their names were included in the list of high-profile fugitives in the country.

The two accused reportedly left the country following the filing of murder charges against them before the DOJ.

Just last month, for Ortega’s birthday, they created a petition asking Interior Secretary Mel Sarmiento to “flush out the Reyes brothers from their hiding places”.

This information led police to arrest other suspects, including Rodolfo “Bumar” Edrad, who linked the Reyeses to the crime.

Avisado said the prosecution, given the chance for a fair trial, “has enough evidence to secure a conviction”.

He, however, said that the main witness had given his word to stick to his testimony though he claimed that he is afraid for the security of his family.

The Ortega family now want to ensure that the Reyes brothers “get home without special treatment”, Michaella said.

Ms.de Lima, who was also interviewed by reporters, said arrest warrants against the Reyeses were issued by Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court Branch 52 on March 27, 2012.