By Giovanni Tapang, Ph.D.
The Manila Times
Thursday, 09 December 2010
Leonardo Co, renowned Filipino conservationist and botanist, along with forester Sofronio Cortez and farmer Julius Borromeo, was killed on November 15, 2010, allegedly by troops of the Philippine Army, while conducting research on tree biodiversity in the Manawan-Kananga Watershed in Leyte. On the day of his death, Co and four of his companions were pursuing research work for the Energy Development Corporation: surveying and collecting specimen seedlings of endangered trees for replanting.
The Army unit involved in the incident, the 19th Infantry Battalion, reported that Co was killed in a crossfire with the New People’s Army. However, accounts from the survivors said that there was no firefight that happened.
The Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (AGHAM—Advocates of Science and Technology for the People), in coordination with friends and families of the victims, organized a fact finding mission to pursue the truth behind the circumstances of the killing of the three men.
The Fact Finding Mission on the Killings of Leonard Co, Sofrono Cortez and Julius Borromeo in Kananga, Leyte (FFM) had the following objectives: to establish facts and gather relevant information on the November 15, 2010 incident in Kananga, Leyte; to gather testimonies and observations from the people involved in the incident and to identify possible parties and individuals responsible for the incident. The following are excerpts from the findings of the fact finding mission.
The main tools of the FFM were the photo and video documentation taken and recorded during the site visit and key informant interviews. The FFM paid a courtesy call to the Mayor of Kananga town and conducted meetings with the Philippine National Police, the 19th IB, the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) staff and the families and neighbors of the survivors and victims. Other documents obtained during and after the FFM was also used to complete the report.
The FFM was divided into three groups. Team 1 interviewed the EDC personnel and primarily conducted the ocular visit of the site to gather more information, establish facts and gather possible evidence. Team 1 marked the locations with GPS units for proper geotagging. Team 2 made the courtesy call to the mayor and visited the communities where the families of the victims and survivors were. They also visited the family of Cortez in Baybay, Leyte. Team 3 visited the local PNP and was able to talk to Chief of Police Sr. Insp. Camacho and informed them of the plans to visit the site. They also visited the 19th IB headquarters and met with Lt. Col. Federico Tutaan at the gate.
The team observed the following from its interviews and incident site visit: The direction of bullet marks on the trees originated from a vantage point on the ridge above Leonard Co and his team. These bullet marks indicated that the direction of fire was bearing downwards towards Co’s team.
The tree (Tree No. 4) that Co’s team was studying was hit three times. A larger tree where one of the survivors hid had six bullet marks on it. The FFM team did not observe any bullet marks on the trees from the ground looking up to the ridge nor from any other side except from the vantage position.
The only consistent explanation for these key observations would be that the military was positioned on top of the ridge and firing towards Co and company. There was no indication of any crossfire. The failure of the military unit involved to provide immediate medical attention and hospital treatment to Julius Borromeo prolonged his agony and ultimately led to his death. The military waited at least one hour after they approached the position of Co’s team before bringing down the bodies and the survivor Gibe despite his repeated requests, as well as those of the then-alive Borromeo.
Supposing that the military indeed had intelligence information that there were NPA sightings on November 12 and that this was communicated to the EDC, what were the precautions taken to inform LC and his team who were already in the LGPF complex since November 9? Likewise, was the military informed of the team’s activities prior to the day of the incident?
These questions and others are still unanswered. Justice for Leonard and his companions remains elusive. The military should give a full accounting of what happened during that day and the names of the squad or platoon members that were involved in the shooting. The EDC should make public its records and protocols with regard to its security relationship with the military.
Tomorrow is International Human Rights Day. The deaths of Leonard Co and his companions are a reminder that we still have a long way to go with regard to attaining the free exercise of our rights in the country.
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