By VERA Files
The parents of slain botanist Leonardo Co have asked the Department of Justice to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death and that of his two companions when they were allegedly caught in a crossfire between soldiers and communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
In a letter to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima dated Nov. 19, Co Lian Seng and Emelinda Legaspi-Co blamed the military for the death of their son, Leonardo, and his two companions, Sofronio Cortez, a forest guard at the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), and Julius Borromeo, a member of the Tongonan Farmers Association. on members of the military.
“Kami pong mga magulang ni Leonardo Co ay humihingi ng tulong sa sambayanang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng tanggapang iyong pinamumunuan upang mabigyan ng katarungan ang pagpaslang sa aming walang kalaban-laban na anak na panganay at kaisa-isang anak na lalaki sa kamay ng mga sundalo habang siya at dalawa pa niyang mga kasama ay tahimik na nagsusuri ng mga puno at halamanan sa Kananga, Leyte sa kanyang gawain bilang botanist nuong ika-15 ng Nobyembre, kasalukuyang taon. (We the parents of Leonardo Co are asking for the help of the Filipino people through your office to give justice to the murder by soldiers of our eldest and only son, a botanist, and his two companions while they were quietly inspecting the trees and plants in Kananga, Leyte last Nov 15.)”
Click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the story.
No extenuating circumstances can justify the cold blooded murder of Prof Co.
Julius Borromeo’s being a member of Tongonan Farmers Association must have raised suspicion among the intels that he was a rebel accompanying outsiders into the “hot” area. What’s wrong with being organized farmers? It’s this kind of uneasy association with organized farm and fisher folk that has claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.
Remember Jayjay Burgos? Ditto Karen Empeño and Sherilyn Cadapan? Now, Prof. Co. The pattern is quite glaring.
Why are our farmers being isolated from experts from the academe? So that this giyera-giyerahan will perpetuate itself? To justify the billions of pesos poured into the military yearly?
Again, I ask the question, is government really serious about finally delivering a fatal, end-all blow to this decades-old insurgencies?
Slip of the TonGuE:
*…these decades-old…”
Why are our farmers being isolated from experts from the academe? So that this giyera-giyerahan will perpetuate itself? To justify the billions of pesos poured into the military yearly?
Many lawmakers and the president himself are hacienderos. I have a suspicion that this is the reason why many farmers join the NPA.
Condolence to Leonardo Co’s family.
Ipaiimbistigahan daw po…lumang tugtugin na yan, ang Morong isyu till now wala pang linaw?
Isama na natin ang Ampatuwad massacre…inip na ang pamilya ng mga nabiktima pero till now naghihearing pa eh.
Dagdagan pa natin…ang Toothless Commission ni Davide, ano na ba ang nangyari sa kaso ni Madam Washing machine? Di ako mapalagay…sure matatapos ang termino ni PeNOY e wala yang maipapakulong sa mga magnanakaw at sinungaling.
Masigasig lang ang Pinoy sa papogi point pero ang kinakaya yaong mga sampay-bakod nating kababayan…bakit po, kasi ganito yan…ilang buwan na ba si PeNOY sa Malacanang, wala man lang nanaibartolina sa mga kawatan na tropang gloria…bwahaha!
Balweg:
Paki sagot mo ang tanong mo(kung bakit di makakilos ang Truth Commission) at pag tama ang sagot mo ay may regalo kang honey-baked ham sa akin. hehehe
I’m quite familiar with Kananga as I covered the whole of Leyte back in the day, everybody has a bolo on his hip, including the youg boys. You really can’t tell who is friendly and who is not. Back then I had this hobby when driving to and from Tacloban and Ormoc (you pass by the town), sometimes I’d park under some tree, and get my 22, and go hunting for birds, I hire a guide though. Somtimes I just stop the car and shoot birds through my window (with scope of course), once I was shooting at a flock of egrets (the white birds usually on top of the carabaos), some farmers/men thought I was shooting at them and came running at me with raised bolos. Needless to say I was out of there like a bat from hell! after that I no longer stop by Kananga to hunt/shoot, except to visit the RHU (rural health unit) to promote my infant formula products…
You can’t really tell if we’re looking at the true picture here…and its too vague to make conclusions, and the reference to hacienderos earlier is downright stupid…
Thats the problem with guerilla warfare, you don’t know who from who – but they know who you are…so what do you do? do you let the other one shoot you first and ask questions later? i pretty sure no one will like that…thats why we’re just armchair soldiers/swat/government official experts, as we don’t have the gumption to actually be in the line of fire…and we are really very brave and heroic in this area! 🙂
#6, Henry90
Yes, lapit na pasko hehehe.
Gloria + Davide + PeNOY = EDSA DOS
Sa aritmitik…sigaw ni PeNOY and civil socialites patalsikin si Erap, sabay entra ni Gloria…qualified ako diyan being a VP at coup détat ang sagot diyan, ang panunumpa ni Davide kay Gloria ang siyang pasang-krus na nagpahirap sa ating lahat.
Ngayon, paanong mangyayari na ang mga magkakakutsaba sa paglapastangan sa ating Saligang Batas + 11M registered voters e siyang magkakasuhan…malabong mangyari ito?
Itaga nýo sa tubig…matatapos ang termino ni PeNOY drawing lahat yong bukang-bibig niya na tayo ang kanyang Bosing.
E…nakalbo na yan sa pamumulitika at ano sakay naman ang Pinoy hehehe!
Balweg:
Sorry Pader! Wrong answer. Tanungin mo ang SC kung baki hanggang ngayon di makausad ang hearing nila sa constitutionality ng TC. Ngayon alam mo na kung bakit until now di makapagtrabaho ang TC? hehehe. . . 😛
THE PHILIPPINES IS … a “broken and lawless nation” —-statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
The many extrajudicial deaths of past months, including two more recent murders in Mindanao where the victims were executed in front of family members, one of them in the presence of three young daughters, were among the reasons.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/207021/asian-rights-group-calls-phl-broken-and-lawless-nation
Bakit di sila magrally sa Tiananmen Square para mapatunayan nila kung sino ang talagang pinaka lawless na bansa? hehehe
Pepito: mukhang iti-nayming iyong announcement for December tourist travel to Pilipinas.
Ang masama ding bad-timing, France also issued a new TRAVEL ADVISORY based on the grenade attack sa Bicutan mall, plus robbery, kidnapping (at isinama pa ang “microbial infection”). France issued a French advisory and France also issued an English translation (inaasar si Sec Coloma, heh heh heh).
I am interested with this one. Is there any progress with investigation? Anyone? Thanks!
s/b – with THE investigation.
@#3: Huwag ka nang pa sleep sleep op da tang…lab ka ni Fartsee.