The former Philippine provincial governor accused of orchestrating the 2011 murder of environmental activist Gerry Ortega has finally surrendered after over a year in hiding, according to a government official.
Joel Reyes, the ex-governor of Palawan, where Ortega was killed, had evaded justice for 13 years before surrendering. Reyes was accused of ordering Ortega’s murder, a crime that shocked the nation due to the high number of journalists and environmentalists killed in the Philippines.
State prosecutors claim that 72-year-old Reyes was behind Ortega’s assassination, leading to a court order for his arrest last year. Reyes went into hiding again but was eventually found in a Manila hospital.