Vietnamese help sought in finding murder suspect ex-Gov. Joel Reyes

The Bureau of Immigration is working with its Vietnamese counterparts to determine if former Palawan governor Joel Reyes had fled to Ho Chi Min City using the name Joseph Lim Pe. 

 

Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, are wanted for the murder of radio commentator Gerry Ortega. They reportedly fled the country last March, with Joel using a passport for Joseph Lim Pe. Immigration records showed that a certain Lim Pe and a companion left the country on March 18, 2012 bound for Vietnam via a Cebu Pacific flight.

 

“We are still awaiting official reply on our query from the Ambassador of Vietnam and we likewise asked assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),” said BI spokesperson Atty. Maria Antonette Mangrobang.

  

She explained that that they are requesting for Vietnam’s departure and arrival records as the BI is not discounting the possibility that Reyes/Lim Pe may have moved on to another country from Vietnam.

 

Aside from working with immigration authorities in Vietnam, Mangrobang also said that they are seeking assistance from immigration offices in other countries.

 

“Our assistant commissioner Siegfred Mison is attending the directors general immigration conference in Thailand and it would be an opportunity with other immigration bureaus whether or not they have arrival or departure of these individuals,” she said.

 

The Reyeses have been fugitives from justice since warrants of arrest were issued in March this year against him and his brother for the alleged murder of Ortega. 

 

Ortega, a radio anchor and commentator on Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN)'s Palawan station dwAR, was gunned down in Puerto Princesa in January last year. 

 

He was known for his attacks on illegal mining activities in Palawan. 

 

The Reyes brothers had been the subject of a “lookout” order after the warrants were issued. 

 

However, according to a dzBB report, a witness claimed Immigration agents Rodelio Udarde and Wesley Gutierrez assisted the Reyeses in their escape. — DVM, GMA News