The family of the late broadcaster and environmental advocate Gerardo “Doc Gerry” Ortega has received a positive update in their decade-long quest for justice. The Supreme Court has ordered a Palawan court to resume the trial for the 2011 killing and has also ordered the rearrest of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, who has been identified as the mastermind behind Ortega’s murder. This decision from the high court brings renewed hope to the Ortega family that they will finally obtain the justice they have been seeking.
Mika, Ortega’s daughter, expressed her gratitude for the Supreme Court’s decision, stating, “Our family is thankful that the Supreme Court sided with truth and justice. We have long hoped and prayed for the trial to continue. This fair decision restores our faith that, one day, we will find justice.”
The Ortega case serves as a perfect example of the saying “justice delayed is justice denied.” The case has been plagued with conflicting resolutions from different panels of Department of Justice prosecutors and the Court of Appeals, prolonging the legal process for 12 years. Ortega, who fiercely opposed mining in Palawan, was tragically shot and killed outside a store in Barangay San Pedro in 2011. The gunman, Marlon Recamata, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2013. However, Reyes and his brother Mario, who were implicated as the masterminds behind the killing, managed to evade the law by fleeing the country.
The arrest of the Reyes brothers in 2015 did not lead to progress in the trial. Instead, they successfully had the charges against them dismissed based on a finding by a DOJ panel that lacked evidence. In 2019, the Court of Appeals reversed this dismissal, leading to the recent Supreme Court decision to resume the trial.
While the high court’s decision is a positive development, it also sheds light on the flaws within our justice system. Conflicting decisions by prosecutors have caused unnecessary delays and raised doubts about the fairness and impartiality of our judicial process. Additionally, influential suspects like the Reyes brothers have been able to escape the grasp of the law, further eroding public trust in law enforcement and immigration authorities.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, a warrant of arrest has been issued against Reyes, but he is reportedly nowhere to be found. This setback means that the Ortega family will likely face another lengthy wait for justice. These cases involving influential individuals raise questions about the equality and integrity of our justice system. Are these powerful personalities capable of manipulating the system for their benefit?
Cases like the drug war killings pursued by the International Criminal Court and other high-profile cases involving individuals like Reyes, Teves, and Bantag, who have yet to be apprehended, contribute to a negative perception of our justice system. The ability of these culprits to evade punishment and the recanting of witnesses in certain cases frustrate not only the Ortega family but also other victims seeking justice.
The Filipino public is left to judge whether the ICC’s assessment of our justice system is accurate. The presence of individuals like Reyes, Teves, and Bantag, who continue to mock our system, amplifies the need for serious examination of our justice system.
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