Citizen-Based Fact-Finding Mission Off to Probe Botanist’s Death (PR)

Bulatlat.com
PRESS RELEASE
26 November 2010

An independent citizen-based fact-finding mission, endorsed by the family of the country’s top botanist, the late Leonardo Co, and led by the Justice for Leonardo Co Movement, sets off for Kananga, Leyte, today to probe the real cause and circumstances of the death of the renowned scientist and his two companions.

The fact-finding mission is composed of representatives from the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM), in coordination with friends and families of the victims, environmental groups the Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society (PNPCS), the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC), the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, the human rights alliance KARAPATAN, the Advocates for Science and Technology for the People (Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan or AGHAM), Center for Environmental Concerns, the U.P. Institute of Biology, forensic experts and lawyers, as well as Bayan. Also participating are UP College of Medicine professor Dr. Romy Quijano, botanist Anthony Arbias, ecologist and former Visayas State University President Dr. Pacencia Milan, KARAPATAN human rights lawyer Atty. Kathrina Castillo of Karapatan-Eastern Visayas and Mr. Dennis Abarientos and four human rights workers of the Karapatan-Central Visayas Region. Other participating organizations are the church-based Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) and some media organizations.

The mission will be conducted on November 26-28, 2010. It is headed by Dr. Giovanni Tapang of AGHAM.

“This mission becomes more imperative because of the AFP’s insistence that what happened was a ‘legitimate military operation’ and that the local command of the 19th IB-PA also insisted that Mr. Leonard Co and his companions were killed in an alleged ‘crossfire’ in an encounter with New People’s Army rebels. The local police has already suggested that the bullets that killed Co were not in the Army’s armaments. That is why we are very much worried that the death of the country’s finest scientist in the field would be whitewashed and covered-up by state authorities,” Karapatan said.

Co was conducting a biodiversity research commissioned by Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp (EDC) in the Manawan Kananga Watershed in Leyte, along with four other companions when Armed Forces of the Philippines troops under the Philippine Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the 802nd Infantry Brigade shot at the team.

Sofronio Cortez, a forest guard of the EDC-Environmental Management Division, and Julius Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association (ToFA) were killed along with Co.

Policarpio Balute, a ToFA member, and Roniño Gibe, a contractual forester of EDC’s corporate social responsibility department, survived the assault. Karapatan expressed concern that the survivors and their families might be threatened by the military as in similar cases where the AFP is involved in the killings.

Reference:

Marie Hilao-Enriquez
Chairperson

The Loss of a National Treasure

Privilege Speech
Hon. Angelo  B. Palmones
Representative, AGHAM Party-List
22  November 2010

Mr.  Speaker,  my colleagues in the House of Representatives,  I stand before you today to express our feeling of sadness  for  the loss of a national treasure, by the name of Dr. Leonardo L. Co.

Dr.  Co is a top plant taxonomist and ethno botanist from the University of the  Philippines- Institute of Biology,  where   he served as museum researcher. He was President of the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, a non-stock, non-profit organization which promotes the conservation of native  Philippine plants, and popularizes its history through educational fora  and other information and communication activities.

Leonardo is not known to many, but his quiet and simple way of doing things has touched the lives of the underprivileged members of society.  Starting in 1981, he worked with the Community Health, Education,  Services and Training in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR). He worked not only with his group of researchers but also with the  community people in listing 122 medicinal plants, which include plants description, plant scientific and common names, parts used for medicine, direction for use, and precautionary notes.

In 1984, Leonardo published his book “Common Medicinal Plants in the Cordillera  Administrative Region: A Trainor’s  Manual  to Community-Based Health  Program” intended  primarily to help upland communities in the treatment of common illnesses because medicines are not readily available in the locality. Another book he published “The Forest Trees of Palanan, Philippines:

A Study in Population Ecology” concerns protection and conservation of natural resources and the environment. From reports and personal accounts,  Leonardo was said to be  the only one from his group who has the ability to identify and describe plants and trees  and the actual location where these can be found in the country. Just recently,  Leonardo was   Consultant of Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in a reforestation project in Leyte.

On November 15, 2010  Leonardo  and four other members of the team were in Barangay Lim-ao, Kananga, Leyte to conduct a study on tree biodiversity in the area, and to collect specimen seedlings of endangered trees for replanting.
It is sad that on that same day Leonardo and two members of his team were killed.

Reports  said that Leonardo sustained gunshot wound in his back in a crossfire
during the encounter between the military and the communist rebels. However, a witness, one of the survivors of his team, was saying that there was no exchange of gun shoots,  and the military could not tell whose  gun  killed Leonardo. Furthermore, EDC reported that the presence of the study team in the area was cleared with the military, and that there is an existing security protocol between the  military and the company.

Meantime, the bereaved family  would like to know what really happened to Leonardo. They cry for justice for the loss of their loved one.     

We at AGHAM Party-List feel that the country lost a treasure – the science community lost a good and dedicated researcher and scientist;  Mother Earth lost a committed environmental activist and protector,  whose knowledge and love of the plants and the trees  will no longer continue to contribute to the conservation and protection of the forest; and most of all, the common “tao” lost their scientist, who before his death had been dedicatedly working  to promote their health and their awareness of the environment.

And before the fatal incident,  a five-petal  flower, Rafflesia leonardi, reportedly found by Leonardo’s group  in the rainforest of Cagayan Province was named after him.  Rafflesia leonardi  is said to be the only one of its kind in the world; and so is Dr. Leonardo L. Co. 

AGHAM  filed House Resolution No. 652 seeking for the immediate investigation and  resolution of the case on the killing of  one of the country’s top plant taxonomists, one of  the  country’s treasures,  named  Dr.   Leonardo L. Co.

Thank you.