Military knew Leonard Co was in the area – EDC

(Updated 11:45 p.m.) The Philippine Army allowed the research team of top botanist Leonard Co to enter the area where the military said a firefight took place, the head of the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp. (EDC) said in a press statement Friday. Co, 56, was shot to death Monday in the forests of Kananga town in Leyte province along with forest guard Sofronio Cortez and their guide Julius Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association. “What we do know is that EDC had informed the Philippine Army Command responsible for security in the area of Professor Co’s planned route and activities and had received positive confirmation for them to proceed before they entered the area," EDC president Richard Tantoco said. “What occurred subsequently remains unclear at the moment, but we will cooperate fully with the investigators tasked to find out precisely what happened," Tantoco added.
Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva, head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Central Command which covers the Visayas region, had earlier said his soldiers went to the site after receiving reports of an "imminent attack" on EDC facilities and “apparently, the troops were not aware [that there were] civilians [in the] area." Co’s family has expressed doubts about military accounts that the research team was caught in a crossfire between soldiers belonging to the Philippine Army’s 19th IB and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas also disputed the military’s version of the slain botanist’s death, saying its NPA units were located in “inaccessible" areas and that the soldiers may have mistaken Co’s research team for a rebel group. “Everyone at EDC is deeply shocked and saddened by this terrible incident," Tantoco said. Two members of the research team, Policarpio Balute and Roniño Gibe, survived the shooting incident at Upper Mahiao in Barangay Lim-ao, Kananga town. According to the EDC statement, Co’s team was making a catalog of plant species in the forests of Kananga, Leyte for the company's BINHI Program, which aims to plant 10,000 hectares of endemic and endangered plants over the next 10 years. EDC chairman Federico Lopez said the company is saddened by the tragic loss of Co, who had worked with the Lopez Group in many of its conservation projects. “His untimely and senseless death will leave a deep void in the academe, scientific community, and in all our hearts," Lopez said. "In the same way, Cortez and Borromeo [were] invaluable contributors to our common goal of protecting and preserving the environment while serving and uplifting the lives of the communities around our various sites," he added. Kin, colleagues demand justice As this developed, friends and colleagues of Co on Friday reiterated their doubts that the botanist was indeed killed in a crossfire, even as they demanded justice for the loss of a “national treasure." "Hindi lang simpleng tao ang napaslang noong Lunes. Ang hindi na-realize ng marami, nawalan tayo ng national treasure," said Dr. Perry Ong, director of the University of the Philippines Institute of Biology in a press conference. (The person killed last Monday was not just any man. Many don’t realize it, but we lost a national treasure.) Ong demanded justice for Co and two others who were also killed in the supposed encounter, and asked the government to ensure the safety of the country’s field workers. Policarpio Balute, a farmer who served as a guide for Co’s research team and who survived the volleys of gunfire, has said there was no crossfire when the victims were shot. (See: No crossfire when botanist Leonard Co was shot, witness says) He said he is inclined to believe that they were the real targets of the gunfire. "Yun na nga siguro kasi sumigaw pa kami, nagmamakaawa, pero hindi sila tumigil sa pagpapaputok [Perhaps we were really the targets, because they did not stop firing their guns even as we screamed for mercy]," Balute said in a separate interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras". "Wala akong nakitang mga tao, ‘yung mga putok lang [I didn’t see any other people, only the gunshots]," he added. Borromeo’s family also could not tell if there was indeed an exchange of gunfire between Army troops and NPA rebels, but said the military could have verified first what Co and his team were doing in the forest. "Ang dala lang naman nila, itak at sako na lalagyan ng mga kahoy [They had only bolo knives and sacks for carrying wood]," said Borromeo’s mother Teresita. Co’s remains, which will be cremated on Tuesday, lie in state at the La Funeraria Paz in Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. Military denies accusations The AFP, however, has denied allegations that the three were not killed in crossfire. "Lumalabas lang yan dahil sinabi nila [It’s just coming out in the news because they are saying it]. What is important is, let's see the result of the investigation [because] everybody can say anything that they want," said Lt. Col Federico Tutaan, 19th IB commander, in the same newscast. AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta also said the military is willing to cooperate with any investigation that Congress may seek into Monday’s tragic incident. “If there will be a congressional hearing we will welcome it and importantly, whatever is required of us, [such as] to include testimonies of our personnel, we will certainly oblige," said Mabanta. He also said the Army’s office of the inspector general and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are likewise conducting internal parallel investigations on the incident. “The most important thing really is to uncover the truth. If it requires investigation outside of the normal bodies, then we will abide, we are for it," he added.– Jesse John Edep/YA with Jerrie M. Abella/JVGMANews.TV