One year and still no justice for the Kanangga 3
“Leonard’s family and the public continue to thirst for justice in
the face of the turtle-pace investigation. It angers us that already a
year has passed and still not a single word or action can be felt from
the Aquino administration.” – Dr. Giovanni Tapang, convenor of the
Justice for Leonard Co Movement.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Friends, colleagues and the family of slain botanist Leonard Co
held a picket at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Nov. 15, Tuesday as
they mark the first death anniversary of the renowned botanist and his
two companions, Julius Borromeo, a farmer and Soforonio Cortez, a forest
guard.
The 50-year old Cortez worked as a forest guard and a regular
employee of the EDC for the past 26 years. He left behind his wife,
Arsenia, and three children.
A farmer, Borromeo was the only breadwinner and the father of six. He
was among the contractual guides hired for Co’s five-day fieldwork.
“Leonard’s family and the public continue to thirst for justice in
the face of the turtle-pace investigation. It angers us that already a
year has passed and still not a single word or action can be felt from
the Aquino administration,” said Dr. Giovanni Tapang, convenor of the
Justice for Leonard Co Movement.
“It is my son who got killed. What we want is justice,” said Lian Seng Co, father of Leonard Co.(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil / Bulatlat.com)
Co was cremated on November 23 in Quezon City; part of his ashes were scattered over a dita tree in UP and in Palanan, Isabela. Borromeo and Cortez were laid to rest by their families on November 25, in Leyte.
On January 26, 2011, Co’s family led by his widow Glenda filed murder charges at the DOJ against members of the 19th IB. The accused soldiers numbering 38 in all were all present during the massacre; among those named as respondents are a two junior officers, 1Lt. Ronald Odchimar and 2Lt. Cameron Perez.
Earlier that same month, the DOJ and National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) own fact-finding team released its report, which cleared the 19th IB in the killing. On January 26, Co’s family protested against the DOJ report and filed formal criminal charges of murder against the 19th IB, seeking a formal preliminary investigation.
On February 22, 100 days after the killing, the Justice for Leonard Co Movement picketed the DOJ and called on DOJ Secretary De Lima to replace the head of its investigating panel, who was also part of the original DOJ-NBI team. Both the CHR and the DOJ have conducted more hearings since then, but neither agencies have released their conclusive reports to date.
Aquino’s inaction
(Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil / Bulatlat.com)
“If it’s true that the President is taking the straight path, then the perpetrators should be in jail by now. But one year has passed and still he is silent on Co’s death,” Tapang said . He said Aquino’s inaction perpetrates the culture of impunity that reigned in the country since the past administrations. “It makes him no different from the regimes that preceded him,” Tapang added.
“If he can talk about Manny Pacquiao’s victory, how can he not talk about Leonard’s case?” Tapang said..... MORE
Source: Bulatlat.com
URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/16/one-year-and-still-no-justice-for-the-kanangga-3/
1 comment
ibig sabihin 45 ang environmentalist na napatay sa panahon ni gloria arroyo? apat kada taon? tanungin n'yo ngayon kung sino.sino nagluklok diyan kay arrobo. hindi kaya kasama ang grupo ninyo? nagtatanong lamang po.
"The killings of Co, Borromeo and Cortez or the Kananga 3 brings the number of environmentalists killed since 2001 to 46. They were also the first environmentalists killed during the Aquino administration."
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