Leonard Co family, supporters ask De Lima to reverse DOJ panel ruling

The family and supporters of slain botanist Leonard Co picketed the Department of Justice on Monday to protest a fact-finding panel's resolution that absolved the military for the death of Co and his two other companions in Leyte last year. Lily Co-Austria, the renowned botanist's sister, urged Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to review and reverse the DOJ panel's findings, which blamed Co's death on the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Co-Austria, joined by the Justice for Leonard Co Movement, asked De Lima to carefully scrutinize the affidavits of survivors Ronino Gibe, an Energy Development Corp. (EDC) forester, and farmer Policarpio Balute. "Sana tingnan mabuti ni Secretary De Lima ang affidavit ng dalawang nakatakas. Nakausap namin ang witness na si Gibe. Sinabi niya, detalyadong-delyado, na walang cross-fire na nangyari. Nag-iisa lang ang pinanggalingan ng putok," Co-Austria said. (I hope Secretary De Lima will carefully look into the affidavits of the two survivors. We talked to Gibe, a witness. He said in detail that no crossfire happened. The bullets only came from one direction.) Giovanni Tapang, spokesperson for the Justice for Leonard Co Movement, also said the DOJ's report "disregarded" the testimonies of the two survivors. The military had claimed that Co, forest guard Sofronio Cortez, and guide Julius Borromeo were killed in a crossfire when Army soldiers encountered communist rebels at the EDC premises in Kananga, Leyte on Nov. 15, 2010. But the two survivors, Gibe and Balute, claimed that there was no crossfire because the firing only came from the direction of the military. A congressional inquiry on the matter is likely after Rep. Antonio Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list urged the House committee on human rights to look into the incident. The Commission on Human Rights, for its part, is to hold public hearings on the incident middle of this week in Leyte. DOJ report In its report released on January 20, the DOJ panel cleared the military of any liability. The report said the ballistics tests of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) showed that none of the firearms submitted by the Philippine Army matched the bullets recovered from the bodies of the three victims. The DOJ team likewise said the trajectory of the bullets that killed Co, Cortez, and Borromeo came from the lower ground were the NPA rebels were supposedly positioned. The panel also pinned the blame on the Lopez-owned EDC for its supposed failure to take the "necessary precautions" despite being aware of the communist threat to the company premises. "The liability comes from the imprudence or negligence they have handled in the security of their personnel in their premises as well as the lack of coordination with the military in terms of activities in the area despite receipt of report that should have put them on alert or heightened security awareness," it said. The EDC, however, has denied it failed to ensure the safety of its employees. "EDC continues to be of the firm view that it adhered to its security protocols and coordinated with the military to protect its employees, consultants, and contractors," said EDC Corporate Communications Manager Fernando Diaz de Rivera. The DOJ panel is composed of Assistant State Prosecutor Diosdado Solidum as head, with Assistant State Prosecutor Bryan Jacinto Cacha and NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis as members. Their report is still subject to De Lima's review. — RSJ, GMANews.TV