MANILA: A former Philippine provincial governor accused of masterminding the 2011 murder of an environmental activist and radio show host has surrendered after more than a year in hiding, a government official said on Thursday (Sep 12).
Joel Reyes and his brother Mario Reyes are presented to the media during a press conference at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Manila on Sep 25, 2015. MANILA: A former Philippine provincial governor accused of masterminding the 2011 murder of an environmental activist and radio show host has surrendered after more than a year in hiding, a government official said on Thursday .
After a court ordered his arrest last year, Reyes again went into hiding but resurfaced, unknown to authorities, after checking into a Manila hospital, the head of the president's media security task force told AFP. Ortega had just finished his morning radio show where he frequently criticised politicians, including Reyes, when he was shot in the back of the head at a second-hand clothes shop in the provincial capital Puerto Princesa.
In March last year, the Supreme Court told a lower court in Palawan to order the ex-governor's arrest."This certainly boosts the government's campaign to create a safe environment for the media," Gutierrez said.Patty Ortega, the journalist's widow, welcomed the defendant's surrender but expects a long courtroom battle ahead.
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