Mario Joel Tolentino Reyes is a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Palawan.

Early life and education
Reyes was born in 1952 in Coron, Palawan. He attended the Far Eastern University and pursued a law degree but later dropped out.

Reyes left his hometown after he was linked to the death of a friend during a hunting trip; which was recorded as an accident by the police. He would go to the United States to work in various odd jobs, primarily as a bartender in Los Angeles, California.

Political career

Early years
Then Acting Vice Governor Art Ventura, who was installed to his position in 1986 under the revolutionary government under President Corazon Aquino, was the one that convinced Reyes to get involved in politics by urging him to run for the position of Palawan board member. 

In the 1990s, he would get elected as Palawan vice governor. Around that time he was already protege of House Speaker Ramon Mitra, a perceived rival of then incumbent governor, Salvador Socrates.

Governor of Palawan (2000–2010)
Reyes first became the Governor of Palawan when he assumed the position under an acting capacity when his predecessor, Salvador Socrates died in a plane crash on July 2, 2000.Reyes was elected as vice governor in 1998.

However, Socrates' election in 1998 was subject to an electoral protest. On January 2, 2001 the Commission on Election (Comelec) ruled now deceased Socrates unfit to hold office and declared second placer, Douglas Hagedorn as winner of the election. Consequentially, the Comelec ordered Reyes to vacate the governor post. Reyes filed for a temporary restraining order against the move in the Supreme Court.

Reyes would take part in the 2001 elections and get elected as regular governor of Palawan winning over Edward Hagedorn.

In 2004, Reyes would successfully vie for reelection after garnering garnering 141,113 votes over the Vicente Sandoval who had 50,500 votes. His whole electoral slate under the Puwersa ng Mamamayang Pa-laweño would also win.

Partnering with the municipal government of Coron led by his younger brother Mayor Mario Reyes, Jr., Joel Reyes launched a land reclamation and tourism project, the Coron Waterfront Development Project.

Reyes would sign on November 25, 2008 a 25-year moratorium on issuing permits large and small scale mining via Resolution No. 7728-08.

Ineligible to run again, Reyes would back the candidacy of Abraham Mitra for the Palawan governorship in the 2010 election. Mitra won against Jose Alvarez by a slim margin. Alvarez was a critic of Reyes' reclamation project in Coron and alleged he owe him money from a loan Reyes supposedly took for his 2001 election campaign – the latter dismissed by Reyes as defamatory.

2010 Palawan representative bid
Reyes would attempt to run to represent Palawan's 2nd district in the House of Representatives. However the Comelec blocked his bid for failing to meet residency requirements.

2016 Coron mayoral bid
Despite his detention in jail, Reyes launched a bid to get elected as Mayor of Coron in the 2016 elections. His brother, also detained, was his vice mayor candidate.

2023 gubernatorial bid
Reyes made a bid to get reelected as Palawan governor in the 2022 elections. Reyes was able to run despite his graft conviction since he was still appealing the ruling in the Supreme Court. In January 2023, Reyes was disqualified by the Commission on Elections despite him already having lost the elections.

Legal cases

Killing of Gerry Ortega
Mario Joel Reyes along his brother Mario Jr. were implicated in the killing of Palawan environmentalist and journalist Gerry Ortega. Ortega was shot dead by Marlon Recamata on January 24, 2011. Recamata and several other suspects were arrested who named the Reyeses as the mastermind of the journalist's assassination. The Reyeses were indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) which called for their arrest. The two fled the Philippines in March 2012. In September 2015, they were arrested in Phuket, Thailand. They were deported back to the Philippines and detained at the Puerto Princesa City Jail.

Reyes was released form the Palawan city kail on January 4, 2018 after Court of Appeals (CA) cleared him from the murder case filed against him. The CA reversed its decision in 2019 and reordered his arrest. The Supreme Court in a March 2023 ruling which was made public in July 2023, ordered for the continuation of the Ortega killing trial and ordered for Reyes' re-arrest.

Graft cases
In 2017, Reyes was convicted for graft for granting unwarranted benefits to mining firm Olympic Mines and Development Corp. (OMDC) in the renewal of its small scale mining permit which was valid from 2006 to 2008, which allowed it to mine beyond the allowable extraction limit. He was sentenced to six to eight years of imprinsonment and was perpetually disqualified from public office.

The Sandiganbayan would uphold Reyes' graft conviction and reordered his arrest. Reyes surrendered on January 29, 2018 and was committed back to jail. He is also facing a separate charge – 36 counts of graft in relation to the alleged misuse of the  Malampaya funds in 2008.

Personal life
Reyes hails from the town of Coron in Palawan.
He is married to Clara "Fems" Espiritu.

References

1952 births
People from Palawan
Far Eastern University alumni
Governors of Palawan
Living people
Fugitives wanted by the Philippines