Statement: call for swift trial to finally achieve justice for journalist Gerry Ortega
Free Press Unlimited (FPU) together with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) call for a swift and impartial trial after fugitive ex-governor Joel T. Reyes surrendered himself to the authorities in connection with the 2011 murder of Philippine broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega. On 8 November 2024, he finally stands trial and there is an opportunity for justice for Gerry Ortega and his family.
“This is long overdue. Former governor Joel T. Reyes has evaded justice for more than 13 years, there must be a swift and impartial trial now without any further delay,” said the coalition international press freedom organisations in a statement.
“We hope this new development brings justice a step closer for the Ortega family and call on the Philippine authorities to do everything they can to ensure justice is delivered for this senseless murder. The international community will be watching the trial closely, as the Ortega murder is emblematic of the entrenched impunity in media killings in the Philippines.”
Ortega, an environmental journalist based on the island of Palawan in the Philippines, reported on corruption within the administration of ex-Palawan governor Reyes before he was murdered in 2011. Reyes had been in hiding despite an arrest warrant issued against him in 2023.
Reyes’ surrender came after a successful legal bid to have his trial transferred to a court in Quezon City, near the capital Manila. The Ortega family had wanted the trial to stay in Palawan, but a Philippine court recently rejected the family’s legal plea. Now the trial will finally take place on 8 November 2024.
The three press freedom groups - who together form the ‘A Safer World for the Truth’ initiative - met with the Philippine authorities in Manila earlier this year to present new leads that could lead to the arrest of Reyes. The coalition has investigated the Ortega case since 2020 which showed damning evidence of Reyes’ role in the journalist’s murder. Since 1992, 96 journalists have been killed in connection with their work in the Philippines.
