By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:43:00 11/24/2010
MANILA, Philippines -- Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday ordered an investigation into the mystery surrounding the death of noted botanist Leonardo Co and two others in Kananga, Leyte, last week.
Authorities earlier said Co and two of his companions were caught in crossfire between communist rebels and government soldiers in a forested area in Kananga town.
In a department order, De Lima created a three-member panel of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors to conduct a fact-finding inquiry on the incident.
“We can’t always leave (the investigation) to the (Armed Forces of the Philippines). No matter how they do their jobs, there will always be suspicions,” she said at the sidelines of the 7th national congress of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in Quezon City.
According to De Lima, the panel may summon personalities, including Armed Forces officials, to attend hearings and answer clarificatory questions.
“We need to remove the cloud of suspicions regarding Co’s death,” she said.
A biodiversity consultant of the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp., Co was reportedly gathering tree samples when he and two of his four companions were shot.
The New People’s Army and the Armed Forces in Leyte had accused each other of firing the shots that killed Co and his companions.
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