By Celeste Anna Formoso
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, (PNA) -– The family of slain broadcast journalist Dr. Gerry Ortega stands strong and remains unfazed despite the decision of the Court of Appeals.
The appellate court sustained its earlier decision to reverse the resolution of a Dept. of Justice second panel of prosecutors that found there is reason to try in court former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes for the murder.
“We are unfazed by this latest ruling from the Court of Appeals which is purely based on a technicality. We will continue our pursuit of justice for the murder of Dr. Gerry Ortega all the way up to the Supreme Court,” said a statement issued via text by Ortega family counsel Atty. Alex Avisado Monday.
Avisado said “Now that it has been showed (sic) that Ortega was killed because of his expose on the plunder of Malampaya funds, it would be a travesty and an injustice to let the masterminds, ex-Gov. Joel Reyes and ex-mayor Marjo Reyes, go free.”
“We still believe that in the end, justice will only be for the deserving,” Avisado said to comment on the 6-page ruling September 27 of the CA written by Associate Justice Angelita Gacutan through the Apellate Court’s Special 10th Division.
In re-affirming its earlier decision, the CA said the DOJ miscarried to observe “proper procedural protocols in according with the rules governing investigations.” DOJ Sec. Leila De Lima, it said, gravely abused her authority in creating the second prosecuting panel to investigate the murder and the tagging of Reyes as the mastermind, and his brother.