CPJ demands justice 15 years after the murder of Philippine journalist Gerry Ortega

Manila, January 27, 2026—Fifteen years after the murder of radio journalist Gerry Ortega, the Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Philippine authorities to swiftly deliver justice for his family and end impunity in one of the world’s most dangerous countries to be a journalist.

Ortega was gunned down in 2011 outside a thrift store in Palawan, shortly after his morning broadcast — a platform he used to report on the environment and corruption within the government of then-Palawan provincial governor Joel T. Reyes. Reyes, who was sentenced to 110 years in prison on graft charges related to a gas project criticized by Ortega, is now on trial for the journalist’s killing, but the case is moving slowly.

“The murder of Gerry Ortega is emblematic of the entrenched impunity for journalist killings in the Philippines. After 15 years, justice has yet to be fully served for his family,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “The Philippine government must end the vicious cycle of journalist killings and the trial of the prime suspect in Gerry Ortega’s murder must proceed without delay.”

CPJ, Free Press Unlimited, and Reporters Without Borders said in a January 23 statement that prolonged impunity in Ortega’s case “sends a chilling message: that truth-tellers can be silenced, and killed, without consequence.” The group added that although recent developments had renewed hope of accountability, they must translate into concrete action and a swift conclusion to the long-delayed proceedings.

On January 24, ahead of the 15th anniversary of Ortega’s death, the three press freedom organizations and the Ortega family met with the head of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security and the embassies of the Media Freedom Coalition in Manila to press for justice.

The press freedom groups, under the A Safer World For Truth initiative, have been investigating the Ortega case since 2020, and met with the Philippine authorities in 2024 to provide new leads on the whereabouts of Reyes, who was then in hiding.