Slain botanist's kin seek justice

MANILA, Philippines - The family of noted botanist Leonard Co, who was killed along with two guides in a supposed crossfire between military and communist rebel forces in Kananga, Leyte last Nov. 15, yesterday appealed to President Aquino to help them get justice.

In a news conference held at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) office in Quezon City, Co’s father Co Lian Sing lamented that authorities were not doing enough to help bring justice to his son’s killing.

The elder Co asked Aquino to help their family in figuring out what really happened to his son.

The Cos’ legal counsel, lawyer Evalyn Ursua, said they are worried about the lack of “adequate cooperation” by the concerned authorities.

She said several documents that the CHR needs to investigate the incident have not yet been forwarded.

“This is what is causing the delay in the probe being conducted by the CHR,” she said.

Despite this, Ursua said they are now “building a case.”

“Being the commander in chief, the President can compel these military forces to produce the much-needed documents,” she said.

For her part, CHR Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales said the commission has been thoroughly investigating and closely monitoring the developments on the case.

“Immediately after the incident, we have instructed our Region 8 office to conduct a quick investigation of the matter. We deputized an expert in forensic pathology to carry out an independent autopsy of the bodies of Dr. Co, Sofronio Cortez and Julius Borromeo. We then formed a composite team tasked to conduct an in-depth investigation of the case,” she said.

Rosales added that the CHR also coordinated with all concerned national government agencies and the families of the victims.

“We launched a fact-finding mission last Dec. 12 to 14 where we inspected the site of the incident, interviewed key people and gathered important evidence,” she said.

However, the CHR said one crucial issue that requires resolution “is whether or not there was a crossfire.”

“Members of the military who were involved in the incident claim that they saw armed ‘communist terrorists’ in the site who first shot at them. On the other hand, survivor-witnesses say that there were no other people in the area and that the firing came from only one side. This is the central issue we can neither skirt nor escape from,” Rosales said.

To finally resolve this issue, the CHR said it is necessary to hold a full-blown public inquiry in Tacloban City, Leyte within the last week of January.

“In this regard, we call on all concerned agencies and individuals to fully cooperate with the CHR. In particular, we call on the members of the 19th Infantry Battalion’s Charlie Company to present themselves in the public inquiry and address all questions,” Rosales said.

Rosales also called on the management of Energy Development Corp., to which Co served as consultant, to submit all necessary documents and “answer all questions relating to them.”

She said they would ask the Board of Inquiry of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice to collaborate with the CHR and share documents “to unify our efforts toward the resolution of this case.”