DFA cancels passports of ex-Palawan gov, brother

Former Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled the passports of former Palawan governor Joel T. Reyes and his brother Mario, the mayor of Coron town, Palawan, both of whom have been in hiding and are subjects of an international manhunt for the murder of broadcaster Gerry Ortega.

The Gana, Atienza and Avisado Law Offices representing the Ortega family said in a statement that they received the cancellation order from the DFA on Friday.

Private prosecution lawyer Alex Avisado said the cancellation of the Reyes brothers’ passport was “effective immediately” and in response to the Ortega family’s petition filed before the DFA following the disappearance of the Reyes brothers after arrest warrants were issued against them on March 27.

The Reyes brothers were earlier included in the International Police (Interpol) red list of wanted persons, effecting their arrest by any government once they are seen hiding in other countries.

Authorities have not discounted the possibility that the Reyes brothers may have been hiding overseas.

Meanwhile, an 80-man task force had earlier been formed by the Philippine National Police to go after the Reyeses and other high-profile fugitives.

On Thursday, prosecution lawyers tried to present the main state witness against the Reyes brothers, Rodolfo Edrad Jr., during the  hearing on the Ortega murder case at a regional trial court here but his testimony was set aside to give way to the petition by defense lawyers questioning the exclusion of Edrad in the list of the accused in the case.

Ortega was slain in 2010.