Ortega slay: Ex-Palawan exec, 4 others charged

MANILA, Philippines - A former administrator of the Palawan provincial government and four others were charged yesterday for the killing of radio broadcaster and environmentalist Gerardo Ortega last Monday.

Superintendent Rolando Amurao, director of the Puerto Princesa City police, said the five respondents were lawyer Romeo Seratubias, former administrator of the Palawan provincial government, gunman Marlon Ricamata, Dennis Aranas, Noel Armando, and a certain Bumar.

Amurao said Seratubias was included in the complaint since he was the registered owner of the .45 caliber pistol used in the killing of Ortega, dwAR commentator and advocate of environment protection who was strongly opposed to mining in the province.

“Seratubias claimed he had sold the gun to Percival Lecias last Jan. 15, and showed a supposed deed of sale written on yellow pad paper,” Amurao said. “The lawyer claimed he failed to inform the Firearms and Explosives Division about the sale of the gun, thus the firearm remains registered under his name.”

Amurao said Seratubias could just give his defense during the hearing while Lecias told probers that he merely facilitated the sale of the gun between Seratubias and the buyer, whom he claimed he did not know personally.

Amurao said Ricamata was the gunman, while Aranas was the lookout, and Armando was the alleged contact of the two in carrying out the attack.

Bumar allegedly gave Ricamata P10,000 as initial payment and P15,000 for operational funds.

Ortega, a veterinarian and commentator for local Radio Mindanao Network based in Palawan, was shot dead at around 10 a.m. on Monday in front of a store in Puerto Princesa City.

Police arrested Ricamata immediately after the shooting.

Although Seratubias and Lecias served under former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes, Amurao also noted that investigators do not have any basis yet to implicate the former governor in the crime.

Ricamata claimed he was fetched from his hometown in Pagbilao, Quezon for the job and he did not know what was the motive.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of former governor Reyes cautioned the public not to jump to conclusions with regard to the killing of Ortega as the investigation by the police into the murder has only just begun.

In a statement, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio appealed to the police, media and other interested persons to “refrain from jumping to conclusions and making comments which generate more smoke than light” in the ongoing investigation on the murder of Ortega.

Topacio said that investigation into the matter “is far from finished.”

“In fact, it has only begun, and any finger-pointing at this time is not only premature, but it prejudices the probe into the case and muddles the issue,” said Topacio.

Topacio appealed to Reyes’ political opponents “to please resist the temptation to conveniently lay the blame at any person without any solid proof and based merely on political expediency.”

The lawyer also branded as “irresponsible” the “precipitate disclosure by police investigators of certain preliminary findings in the ongoing investigation.”

“Is this how the police conduct investigations in a high-profile case, by disclosing blow-by-blow the steps they are taking and announcing what they will do in advance? I think the police should show more discretion. The way it is done, it appears they are placing more emphasis on unsupported sensationalism than on honest-to-goodness police work,” Topacio said.

Lawmakers seek probe of Ortega murder

Two congressmen urged the House committee on human rights yesterday to investigate the killing of Ortega.

In filing Resolution 863, Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares said Ortega’s killing “is related to his active involvement in preserving the biodiversity and environment of Palawan against large-scale mining, being a strong critic of mining projects and advocate of a mining moratorium in the province.

“He also consistently exposed the deforestation, pollution, community displacements, and other impacts of mining in Palawan,” they said.

They noted that the province, with its rich flora and fauna, is the country’s last ecological frontier.

“It is home to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which is a top nominee to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Ironically, the province hosts at least 10 large-scale mining projects such as Rio Tuba, Coral Bay, Berong Nickel, Macroasia Mining, and MBMI Mining, which are all in biodiversity and environmentally critical areas,” they said.

They added that the human rights committee should look into the possible link of Ortega’s death with his strong and consistent criticism of mining operations in Palawan.

Ortega was a staunch critic of Palawan officials and erring mining operations and was the anchor of the daily primetime program “Ramatak,” aired over dwAR, RMN’s local affiliate in Palawan.

The victim was project director of the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan.

Chief Inspector Gregorio Olaguer, spokesman for the Police Regional Office 4B, said the shooting occurred at about 10:30 a.m. in front of Dueksam motorcycle center in Barangay San Pedro in Puerto Princesa City.

Senior Inspector Emeline Herrera, chief of police in San Vicente town, and her driver Police Officer 1 Glenn Abonillo were both in the area during the shooting incident and they immediately arrested Ricamata.

Puerto Princesa City police director Rolando Amurao identified Seratubias, former administrator of the provincial government of Palawan, as the owner of the gun that was recovered from the arrested gunman.

Seratubias denied any knowledge of the plot to murder Ortega.

Casiño and Colmenares pointed out that the Palawan radioman is the second environmental defender killed under the Aquino administration. The first was botanist Leonardo Co.

“Ortega is the 37th environmental advocate killed since 2001. Of this number, 28 were anti-mining activists, including Ortega,” they said.

He is the 142nd journalist killed since 1986 and the second to be murdered under the Aquino government, after radio reporter Miguel Belen of Iriga, Camarines Sur, they said. – With Sandy Araneta, Jess Diaz, AP