By Joey A. Gabieta
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:38:00 11/21/2010
ORMOC CITY, Philippines—The families of two farmers who died along with botanist Leonardo Co on Nov. 15 in the forest of Kananga town are seeking an impartial investigation to find out who were really responsible for their deaths.
Whether they were caught in a crossfire or were mistaken for rebels by soldiers, the truth should be known in order that the killers could be brought to justice, said Teresita, widow of farmer Julio Borromeo, 50, one of the farmers.
“Whoever were responsible have to be punished. They killed my husband as if he were a pig. There was a big hole in his chest,” the 45-year-old widow said in an interview at her house in Tongonan, Ormoc on Thursday.
Arsenia, widow of Sofronio Cortez, 50, for her part disclosed that she could not even look at her husband lying in the coffin at the wake held at their home in Barangay Hilapnitan, Baybay, Leyte.
Senseless death
Arsenia said that she still could not accept that her husband died so senselessly.
“I am still confused about what happened to my husband and his group. I really don’t know. But we are seeking justice for his death. Up to now, I don’t have the strength to see his (dead) body lying in the coffin,” the widow said on Saturday.
Borromeo and Cortez will both be buried on Wednesday, Cortez at the Catholic cemetery in Baybay and Borromeo in Ormoc City.
Borromeo left six young children. Cortez had three children with ages ranging from 16 years to 23 years old.
Teresita said she could not believe that their six young children lost their father in such a manner. “On that day, he left our house at around 6 in the morning. And by 7 p.m., I was expecting him to return. But it never happened,” she said.
Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association, hired by the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) to plant trees, was assigned by EDC along with Cortez, an EDC forest guard, and two others to assist Co in documenting the tree specimens in the forest in Kananga adjoining the EDC-run Tongonan geothermal power plants.
Bursts of gunfire
Co and his team were in a forested area of Barangay Limao and were exchanging jokes just minutes before they were fired upon, according to one of the two survivors, Policarpio Balute, 33.
“During that time, we kept on cracking jokes to doc’s (Co) amusement. It was raining. Then suddenly, we heard successive bursts of gunfire. The doctor asked us all to lie down on the ground so we would not be hit,” Balute told the Inquirer on Thursday.
“He (Co) kept on shouting that the firing should be stopped. He was shouting repeatedly, ‘Sir, please stop. Have mercy on us. We are not enemies.’”
“But they never stopped. The burst of gunfire was so deafening and in rapid succession, similar to firecrackers exploding moments before the New Year,” Balute added.
Balute, however, could not say whom Co was referring to as “sir.”
“I saw the doctor, raising his both hands, crying, pleading for them to stop firing at us. But his pleadings were ignored by them as they kept on firing towards our direction,” added Balute.
Spared by men in uniform
Balute said he was able to slither away from the range of fire and ran fast for over an hour until he reached the EDC office. He reported the incident to the company’s chief security officer, Jojo Pascual.
The other survivor, Niño Gibe, was inside the group’s service vehicle parked some 90 meters away from the scene. He was spared by some men in camouflage uniform, Balute claimed.
Balute also said he had no idea if there were New People’s Army (NPA) fighters in the area. “At that time, we were the only people there,” said Balute.
The 19th Infantry Battalion claimed that a firefight with rebels led to the death of Co, Borromeo and Cortez.
The bodies of Co, Cortez and Borromeo were retrieved hours later from the site and placed in a truck. They were first brought to the Kananga police station, then to the Kananga Community Hospital and finally at the V. Rama Funeral Homes in Ormoc City.
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