[1] According to Australian journalist and author Jill Jolliffe, Reis's older brother, Vicente [de], "... was one of a group of radical students who ... studied in Portugal and [fell] under the influence of Marxist-Leninist ideas.

Yet he [was] never ... connected with fanaticism, nor with the ill-treatment of alleged dissidents ... On the contrary, there [are] many stories of his role as a gentle teacher behind guerilla lines, and he ... died a lingering death from untreated wounds ..."[1] Reis is a long time member of Fretilin.

[2][3][4] On 26 July 2005, as part of a restructure by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri of the I Constitutional Government in response to tensions within the Fretilin party, Reis was sworn in to one of five new positions in the executive, the key electoral role of Secretary of State for the Coordination of Region I (Lautem, Viqueque and Baucau).

[13][14] In April 2021, Reis, in both of his official capacities, led the government's response to Cyclone Seroja and its associated rain and flooding, which he described as the worst incident in East Timor in 40 years.

[19] En route to the Summit, he paid a courtesy call to Lisbon, Portugal, where he met with Portuguese leaders to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries.