18 months and still no justice for slain botanist

Family of Leonard Co appeals to public: Write the DOJ

By HUSTISYA
May 15, 2012

QUEZON CITY  –  On the 18th month of the killing of ethno-botanist Leonard Co, his family appealed to friends and supporters to write the Department of Justice (DOJ) to come up with the resolution on the case soon.

“I am thus appealing to all of you, to all those who have loved, known and honored Leonard for his contributions in the field of science, botany and taxonomy, and to all those who believe that justice must be served: Please help us urge the DOJ to release the resolution at the soonest time possible,” the letter, signed by Co’s widow, Glenda, stated.

The panel of prosecutors formed by the DOJ led by Prosecutor George Yarte had already finished the preliminary hearings in the killing of Co in July 2011.

“It is now May 2012 and the government prosecutors have yet to come up with a resolution,” Glenda said.

According to Glenda, more than a year after Leonard was killed, various activities were held one after another to celebrate Co’s life as a scientist and botanist.

“I and my daughter, Linnaea Marie, are very grateful for all the outpourings of love and respect you have given Leonard. Please give us the same strength as we call on the DOJ not to allow impunity to reign in the killing of Leonard and his companions,” said Glenda.

The family’s public appeal urged everybody to write to the DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima, Undersecretary Francisco Baraan who is also chair of the DOJ special task force on extrajudicial killings and Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.

“Let us flood them with snail mails, e-mails, phone calls and even SMS to remind them that we await the release of the resolution, and that we keep vigil on Leonard’s case,” the letter said.

Co, along with forest guard Sofronio Cortez and farmer guide Julius Borromeo, were allegedly shot by soldiers of the 19th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine Army when they were conducting research on tree biodiversity for the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) in the Manawan-Kananga Watershed near the EDC geothermal plant in Kananga, Leyte.  On that day, Co and four of his companions were surveying and collecting specimen seedlings of endangered trees for replanting.

Despite witnesses’ and expert’s accounts that the gunshots came from only one direction, that of the military, the latter maintained it was an encounter with members of the New People’s Army and that Co and his companions were killed in a “crossfire.”

The criminal complaint, filed in January 2011, requested for a formal investigation on the killing, after a DOJ fact-finding panel cleared the military for responsibility on the incident.

Meanwhile, human rights group Hustisya supported the call for the immediate release of the resolution.