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Rebels, military in blame game over killing of top botanist


(Updated 7:30 p.m.) Military authorities and communist rebels traded accusations on Wednesday over the killing of prominent Filipino botanist Leonardo Co and two of his companions, who were allegedly caught in a crossfire in Leyte province while they were doing field research. One of the country’s leading plant conservationists, the 56-year old Co was shot to death Monday in the forests of Kananga town along with forest guard Sofronio Cortez and their guide Julius Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association. Two members of the research team, Policarpio Balute and Roniño Gibe, survived the shooting incident at Upper Mahiao in Barangay Lim-ao, where Co was engaged in field work as biodiversity consultant of the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC). None of the survivors could be immediately reached for comment. Military clearance Wildlife biologist Dr. Perry Ong, a friend and colleague of Co at the University of the Philippines, said the research team had security clearance from the EDC security group, which in turn got clearance from the military. The government has been fighting communist New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in the forests of Leyte for decades. When asked if the military knew about the presence of the team in the area, however, EDC public relations officer Fernando Rivera said: "It is a sensitive issue, and I cannot go into specifics. We are preparing a press release. All I can say is that the investigation is ongoing." Lt. Col. Federico Tutaan, commanding officer of the 19th Infantry Battalion which is based in Kananga town, said his troops went to the site after receiving reports on Nov. 12 that some 30 NPA rebels were seen around the EDC facilities. “The EDC knew we were there," Tutaan said. “We believe that the 7 to 10 NPA rebels we encountered on Nov. 16 were an advance guard" for a larger unit preparing to attack the company’s premises, he added. He said the military was aware about the presence of Co’s team in the area, but did not know their precise location. “All of us chanced to be at the same place at the same time. It was very unfortunate," Tutaan said. Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva, head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Central Command which covers the Visayas region, said both the EDC and the military have requested local police to investigate the presence of civilians in the area. “We emphasize in our operations [the] safety of civilians, and apparently the troops were not aware [that there were] civilians [in the] area," he said, contradicting Tutaan's statement. Confident about soldiers’ innocence Villanueva quoted the soldiers from the 19th Infantry Battalion as saying that they identified their targets as rebels because they were carrying guns. "We are quite confident na hindi mga sundalo natin ang naka-kwan sa kanila. Kung sino talaga, we cannot yet definitely say at this time," he said in a telephone interview. Tutaan said there were no casualties on the government side, but the soldiers suspect they wounded one member of the NPA. However, no rebels were captured, he said. “We did not fire the first shot," Tutaan maintained, saying the clash began when the rebels allegedly opened fire. He said it could not be immediately ascertained whether or not the military hit civilians, “but I can assure you, hindi pakalat-kalat ang putok ng baril namin. We were aiming at the enemy." The army officer said Leyte police are conducting an autopsy and are planning to conduct ballistics tests on recovered bullets to find out who was responsible for the deaths of Co and his companions. Villanueva said troops had been deployed in the area because the AFP had received reports that the NPA was planning an attack on the EDC facilities. “In one of the previous encounters, we recovered documents indicating imminent attack on that facility. We were conducting the operations to preempt that (plan)," he said. Villanueva added that the documents included a sketch of EDC’s facilities. In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, however, the EDC’s Rivera said no security alert levels were raised recently. "Dati pa naman may threats mula sa NPA, since the late ‘70s," Rivera said. Mistaken for rebels? In a press release sent to news agencies Wednesday, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) expressed doubts about the reported clash that resulted in the deaths of the three civilians, and pinned the blame on the 19th Infantry Battalion instead. “The [National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas] does not believe that an encounter occurred between the New People's Army and the 19th IB elements and that Dr. Co's group was caught in the crossfire," said the CPP. “Rather, it is the NDF-EV's belief that Dr. Co's group was mistaken for an NPA unit by the 19th IB elements who attacked based on a flimsy intelligence report, and who furthermore violated the rules of engagement by indiscriminately firing without verifying their targets," said the CPP. The NDF-EV said its camps are located in “well-hidden areas inaccessible to most" and it was “highly improbable" that Co and his companions had strayed near NPA hideouts. The group added that NPA units choose “highly secure routes" and avoid civilians to maintain secrecy, so it was unlikely that Co’s team had stumbled upon a mobile NPA team. Santiago Salas, NDF-EV spokesperson, urged the government of President Benigno Aquino III to “probe and punish those responsible" for the deaths of Co and his companions. Parallel investigation Villanueva said the AFP’s 8th Infantry Division has been ordered to conduct a parallel investigation of the incident. He said the soldiers involved in the incident are remaining in Kananga to “make themselves available to police investigators." Tutaan said the 19th IB is headquartered in Kananga, Leyte. It covers three provinces: Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran. The EDC’s Rivera said the company is cooperating with local authorities that are investigating the incident. According to its website, the EDC operates the 107,625-hectare Leyte geothermal production field in Ormoc City and Kananga municipality. It has a total plant capacity of over 700 MW. A great loss Co’s friends and colleagues have expressed grief and anger at the “senseless death" of the renowned botanist, who served as professor at UP's Institute of Biology. “He was one of, if not the last of, the classically trained botanists in plant taxonomy and systematics in the Philippines," said Ben Valejo, UP graduate and environmental scientist. "The loss of [Co] wounds the nation. As the Philippine science community comes to terms with the irreplaceable loss, we have to reflect if the fighting is really worth it," he wrote on this blog. GMANews.TV was able to interview Co last year for a story about a pitcher plant that was discovered by foreign botanists in Palawan province. - KBK/YA, GMANews.TV
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