Hindi pa tapos ang laban: Ortegas plan next move after CA clears Joel Reyes in murder case

The family of slain broadcaster Gerry Ortega has vowed to continue the fight even after the alleged mastermind of his murder, former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, has been cleared by the Court of Appeals (CA) of liability in the killing.

“We have not received the copy of the decision yet. We will need time with our lawyers to study it and plan our next move,” assured Ortega’s daughter, Mika, in a statement.

On the other hand, Mika admitted her family has been surprised by the CA ruling which also ordered the release of Reyes from jail

“Our family is still recovering from the shock of yesterday’s (January 5) CA decision ordering the release of former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, the mastermind for the murder of radio broadcaster, environmentalist, and anti corruption advocate Dr Gerry Ortega,” she said.

“This decision comes a few weeks before the 8th year anniversary of Doc Gerry’s murder. 8 years of fighting for justice and press freedom,” she noted.

Ortega was killed by a hired gunman in January 2011 and Reyes and his brother, former Coron mayor Mario Reyes, have been tagged as the masterminds.

After slipping out of the country in 2012 to evade arrest warrants against them, the former governor and his brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, were arrested in Phuket, Thailand in October 2015.