Filipino journalist and politician (1963–2011)
Gerardo Valeriano Ortega DVM (August 28, 1963 – January 24, 2011), better known simply as "Doc Gerry" or "Ka Gerry," was a Filipino journalist, veterinarian, politician, environmental activist, and community organizer best known for his work to promote crocodile farming in the Philippines and for his advocacy against mining on the island of Palawan. Ortega has often been lauded as a hero of the Philippine Environment since his assassination on January 24, 2011, due to his anti-mining and anti-corruption advocacy.
Personal life and education.
Ortega was born on August 28, 1963, to Rafael "Totoy" Ortega, who was the municipal mayor of Aborlan, in the island province of Palawan. Gerry Ortega earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation near Manila. In 1988, he married Patria Gloria "Patty" Innocencio in a church wedding in Bulacan. They later had five children. The eldest, Mika Ortega, worked as an Information, education, and communication officer of ABS-CBN Foundation's Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig.
Ortega was a devout Roman Catholic and was one of the local leaders of the Catholic group, Couples for Christ, in Palawan.
Crocodile farming pioneer (1988–2001).
In 1988, Ortega began working at the Crocodile Farming Institute (since renamed the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center but still known widely and referred to below as the Crocodile Farm or CFI) in Irawan, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. In 1989, he became the institute's director.
At the time, many thought the Crocodile Farm project, which was run by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, would never succeed. But Ortega and his team made it not only viable but globally known. Ortega and his team at the CFI also received considerable media attention over catching the largest saltwater crocodile in the country.
In 1993 the CFI came up with the idea of farming out their crocodiles. The idea sparked considerable interest, and over 80 potential crocodile farmers applied. Nineteen of these were in attendance on February 1 to 3, 1999, when Ortega hosted the “Orientation on the Establishment of Crocodile Farms in the Philippines.” After screening applicants, the CFI gave 6 crocodile farmers their first crocodiles in early 2000. Ortega's initiative thus represented the birth of the crocodile industry in the Philippines.
Political Career (2001–2004).
Ortega resigned from his post at Crocodile Farm in time to run for a position in the Provincial Board of Palawan during the elections of 2001. He won and held that post until 2004.
It was during this time that Ortega is said to have first gained access to "information and documents about widespread corruption in the provincial government of Palawan." As a result, Ortega became "the foremost critic of then Governor Mario Joel T. Reyes."
In 2004, Ortega ran for Governor of Palawan, under a good governance platform where he lost to Governor Reyes.
Environmental advocacy and community organizing (2004–2011).
Uncertain about their future career, given the political and economic situation in the Philippines, he and his wife Patty briefly considered taking a job abroad.
Sometime later that year, the ABS-CBN Foundation recruited Ortega to become project director of Bantay Kalikasan-Palawan.
Sustainable ecotourism.
In his capacity as project director of Bantay Kalikasan-Palawan, Ortega spearheaded the establishment of five community-based sustainable tourism sites operated by the community and for the community.
Ortega explained the way these projects were structured to "Philippine Star" journalist Faizza Farinna Tanggol on January 22, 2011:
 “All of these are the project of the community-based sustainable tourism where the support is the community and 100 percent of the profits go to the community. All of the employees, managers, and all of the workers are from the community.”
 “We do not have to destroy the environment for us to benefit from it... We just need to take care of it so we can invite guests for them to see the natural beauty of our environment so that our countrymen will have opportunities from that. As we always say — kung may pakialam, may pakinabang.” (whoever contributes benefits.)
The five eco-tourism projects spearheaded by Bantay-Kalikasan Palawan under Ortega are:
Journalism (2004–2011).
At this time, Ortega also began serving as an anchor/commentator in a number of radio stations in Palawan, allowing him to promote his environmental advocacy and continue his anti-corruption campaign. He was part of TV Patrol Palawan in 2006-2010.
Death threats.
By late 2009, Ortega had begun regularly receiving death threats because of the hard-hitting nature of his radio programs, at one point prompting the family to get a bodyguard for him. Puerto Princesa City Former Mayor Edward Hagedorn revealed that Ortega was especially concerned when at one point the threats extended to his daughters.
The "Ten Million Signatures for the Banning of Mining in Palawan" campaign.
In January 2011, Ortega, together with Bantay Kalikasan decided to launch a broad campaign against mining in Palawan, in response to the approval of large scale mining by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) the month before.
Ortega was getting ready to travel to Manila for the launching of the Ten Million Signatures Campaign for the banning of mining operations in the province of Palawan when he was assassinated.
Assassination.
At around 10:30 in the morning of January 24, 2011, Ortega had just finished broadcasting on his morning show "Ramatak" for Radyo Mo Nationwide's (RMN) Palawan station dwAR-FM, and was supposed to prepare for a scheduled journey to Manila to promote the Ten Million Signatures campaign. He stopped at an "ukay-ukay" (used clothing) thrift store in Puerto Princesa.
It was here that a gunman came up behind Ortega, and shot him in the back of the head.
Initial arrests.
After a brief chase, police apprehended the alleged shooter, Marlon Recamata, who confessed to the crime at the Puerto Princesa Police Office.
Recamata originally claimed that the motivation for the killing was simply robbery, but numerous parties including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Asian Human Rights Commission, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn, and ABS CBN's Bantay Kalikasan, through its head Gina Lopez, pointed out that this was unlikely, given the way the murder was conducted, the fact that Ortega did not present himself as someone likely to be worth robbing. Recamata also implicated three others in his statements: Rodolfo O. Edrad Jr., Dennis C. Aranas, and Armando R. Noel. Recamata pleaded guilty to murder charges on February 11, 2011. The case was heard at the Puerto Princesa trial court. He was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to reclusion perpetua (20 to 40 years in prison).
A second suspect, Percival Lecias, was invited for questioning by the Puerto Princesa office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on January 25, 2011.
Dennis Aranas was arrested in Coron, Palawan, three days after the assassination, on January 28, 2011. He also confessed to the crime at the Puerto Princesa Police Office.
Edrad surrendered to Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn in Lucena, Quezon, on February 5, 2011, and Hagedorn brought him to the National Bureau of Investigation NBI headquarters in Manila. Armando Noel surrendered to the NBI at their Taft Avenue headquarters on February 10, 2011. Both Edrad and Noel confessed to the crime before the NBI.
Another suspect, Edwin Arandia gave himself up on February 27, 2011, to Fr. Robert Reyes who accompanied him to the NBI.
Further investigation.
The police found the .45 caliber pistol Recamata had allegedly used to kill Ortega in a trash bin along the road, where Recamata had thrown it while trying to escape. Upon examination, it was found to be registered to former Palawan provincial administrator Romeo M. Seratubias. A man named Arturo Regalado later surrendered to the authorities, claiming he had purchased the gun from Seratubias.
In the confession he gave the NBI in Manila, Edrad implicated in Ortega's murder former Marinduque Governor Jose Antonio N. Carrion and former Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes. Edrad said he was a former bodyguard to Carrion and Joel Reyes. Edrad also implicated former Coron, Palawan Mayor Mario T. Reyes Jr., and Arturo Regalado, the man who bought the gun from Atty. Seratubias.
Governor Reyes later denied having hired Edrad as a security aide, while Governor Carrion, who said Edrad was indeed a former security aide, denied ever talking to Edrad about any plot.
Dismissal of charges by First Panel against alleged masterminds.
Before criminal charges can be filed, prosecutors must determine if there is reasonable evidence against the accused. In a resolution dated June 8, 2011, a panel of prosecutors from the Philippines' Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed criminal charges filed against former Marinduque Governor Jose Antonio N. Carrion, former Palawan Gov. Mario Joel T. Reyes, former Palawan Mayor Mario T. Reyes, former provincial administrator Atty. Romeo Serratubias, Arturo Regalado, and Percival B. Lecias, citing "insufficiency of evidence".
The same resolution said that there was probable cause to charge Rodolfo Edrad Jr., Armando Noel, Dennis Aranas, and Arwin Arandia with murder.
On July 1, 2011, Patty Ortega filed a 47-page motion for reconsideration at the Department of Justice, asking the investigating panel to recommend that charges be filed against Reyes and the five others who had been absolved by the panel, arguing that those she alleged to be the ""masterminds and principals" behind the killing ought to be charged, not just the ones who were charged, whom she referred to as "pawns whose participation in the murder were merely at best as accessories.""
Reversal of Dismissal of Charges by Second Panel.
On March 13, 2012, the Department of Justice, after a review by a second panel, reversed its former decision of dismissing the cases against Governor Joel Reyes, Mayor Mario Reyes, Romeo Seratubias, Arturo Regalado, and Percival Lecias and ordered the filing of murder charges against them on the death of Ortega after the reviewing the motion for reconsideration filed by Ortega's wife the previous year and taking into account the new evidences presented there. Only former Governor Jose Carreon was not included in the charges due to insufficiency of evidence. Murder charges were filed on March 17, some of those named were picked up for trial. Joel and Mario Reyes brothers eluded arrest by fleeing the country.
Override by Circuit Court of Appeals.
Attorneys for the accused filed an appeal that the Second Panel was not legal and the First Panel cleared their client. In November 2012, the Circuit Court of Appeals (CA) agreed. The second panel of prosecutors should not have been formed without first without reversing the findings of the original panel. Alternately, new evidence, or any review should have been directed to the First Panel that had voted to not prosecute. The Department of Justice asked the CA to reverse their ruling. Instead, in September 2013, the CA affirmed their first ruling. They cited the "finding by the first panel of prosecutors has not yet been reversed, affirmed or modified". Therefore, it still stood.
The DOJ filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of the Philippines to uphold the findings of the second panel.
In October 2014, a third ruling by the CA affirmed the ability of DOJ Justice Secretary Leila de Lima "to review, revise, reverse, or modify the resolutions of her prosecutors who conducted preliminary investigations." This confirmed the ability of the DOJ to comply with the family wishes that the first panel review its decision. Additionally, the CA rejected a motion by the Reyes brothers to bar de Lima from the case owing to comments made to the press that they believed demonstrated a bias against them.
In August 2015, the Ortega family renewed their call for their petition to the first panel be made. According to a petition drive on Change.org we "decry the de facto inaction and seeming apathy of authorities in resolving the Ortega case and all media killings in the country".
As of September 2015 the Supreme Court had not ruled on the appeal made by the DOJ to validate the second panel. Meanwhile, the family of Ortega pressed the DOJ for a review by the first panel. However, de Lima said she could not act on the family's petition because this may affect the DOJ appeal in the Supreme Court.
Flight and arrest of Reyes brothers.
In August 2012, reward money for information about the whereabouts of the Reyes brothers helped spring information. At a media forum at Club Filipino, a man appeared with a cloth hiding his face before reporters. The unidentified man was presented by former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez and Sandra Cam of the Whistleblowers Association of the Philippine. He claimed he drove the Reyes brothers