Earlier, Demi Custodio, lawyer of the Reyes brothers, said he hoped that the police would delay its plan to send the two back to Palawan as Mario has a fever and needs medical attention.

Joel Reyes, the former governor of Palawan island, and his brother Mario, former Coron mayor, arrived at around 3:07 am Friday via Philippine Airlines flight PR733.

The Reyes brothers are facing murder charges over the 2011 death of Gerry Ortega, a prominent Palawan environment activist who had also used a radio show he hosted to frequently accuse the Reyes brothers of massive graft.

Seated from left to right: Mario Reyes, Joel Reyes, flanked by Thai police.

Members of Task Force Tugis met with Thai police and immigration authorities on August 25, 2014 to discuss the “status of Ortega’s murder case and significant information about the Reyes brothers”, it was explained at the Camp Crame press conference.

Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said the fugitives will not be accorded any special privileges while in prison.

PNP Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez has assured the security of former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes and his brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, when they were transferred while waiting for the commitment order from the court.

They were escorted by personnel from the Philippine National Police and the Airport Police.

They also drove around the resort state in a sport utility vehicle (SUV).

He added that the Interpol photos were sent to the informant for confirmation and that it was only after this that the Royal Thai Police and Interpol, on September 20, moved to arrest the brothers for violating Thailand’s immigration laws. The Justice chief landed seventh in the latest pre-election surveys.

Upon learning of their arrest last Sunday, Michaella Ortega, daughter of the slain broadcaster, told Rappler: “It’s going to be a long fight”.

Avisado was reacting to de Lima’s statement on Wednesday expressing confidence that the DOJ will secure a ruling from the South Carolina to uphold the arrest warrants.

“If we decide and resolve the petition for review, it will weaken our position in the Supreme Court cases”.

“With due respect, Secretary de Lima does not need to withdraw the appeal that is pending before the South Carolina. If she resolves the petition for review, the appeal before the South Carolina will just be rendered moot and academic”, Avisado said.

It would be recalled that De Lima created a second panel, which admitted new pieces of evidence and testimony, and then ruled that there was probable cause to file cases against the brothers. We are insisting on the plenary authority of the secretary of justice to create the second panel.

The Ortega family earlier submitted a petition signed by over 30,000 concerned individuals asking, among others, that de Lima resolve the petition for review in order to ensure that the ongoing trial of the Ortega murder case will not be stopped.

She added that she would consult key DOJ officials such as the undersecretaries to whom she had delegated the resolution of the petition for review.