Kin score DOJ ruling in Co's killing

MANILA, Philippines - Relatives of noted botanist Leonardo Co and their supporters asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday to junk findings of a fact-finding panel of the Department of Justice (DOJ) clearing the Armed Forces in the killing of Co and two guides during crossfire between government troops and communist rebels in Leyte in November last year.

They picketed the DOJ building in Manila and protested the report of the probe panel, which concluded that the military men in the crossfire were not responsible for the death of Co, Sofronio Cortez and Julius Borromeo.

Co’s sister, Lily Austria appealed to De Lima to carefully scrutinize the affidavits of survivors Ronino Gibe, an Energy Development Corp. (EDC) forester, and farmer Policarpio Balute.

“We talked to Gibe. He said in detail that no crossfire happened. The bullets only came from one direction,” she told reporters in an interview.

Cause-oriented groups like Karapatan, Agham-Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society, Center for Environmental Concerns, Health Alliance for Democracy and Kalikasan-People’s Network for Environment that convened the “Justice for Leonard Co Movement” joined the family.

Their spokesman Giovanni Tapang lamented how the DOJ “disregarded” the testimonies of the two survivors.

The Commission on Human Rights already said it would investigate the incident, apparently unconvinced by the DOJ report.

Meantime, the Army is confident that its soldiers would be cleared anew of liability if authorities decide to conduct further investigations on the death of Co and the two guides.

Army spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade Jr. said yesterday the conclusions of the DOJ fact-finding panel that absolved the soldiers would be upheld if the reinvestigations are conducted fairly.   – With Alexis Romero