Encountering the truth: The Kananga 3 killings

Monday, June 13, 2011 - 08:26

Lisa Ito-Tapang

On November 15, 2010, the Philippines lost one of its finest ethnobotanists and taxonomists, Leonardo Co and his teammates, forest guard Sofronio Cortez and farmer Julius Borromeo, to a hail of bullets in the forests of the Manawan-Kananga Watershed in Leyte province. This article recounts the ordeal of Co and his team, as reconstructed by previous media reports and by the November 26 independent fact-finding mission led by Agham and the Justice for Leonard Co Movement.

At the time of his death, Co and his team were in the area to collect specimen seedlings of endangered trees as part of a reforestation project for the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp (EDC) in the Leyte Geothermal Production Field, the world's largest wet steamfield. Katungod Sinirangan Bisayas, a local human rights organization, said that the incident happened within the vicinity of the EDC-PNOC, of the Mahi-aw Plant where there are camps of a special Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) unit and a 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) team.

Co and company: Fieldwork in Kananga's forests

Co arrived at the EDC in Kananga, Leyte on November 9. As a biodiversity consultant for EDC's reforestation project, it was Co's responsibility to identify and collect rare seedling specimens along with his team. From November 10 to 13, Co and his guides were able to conduct their fieldwork in three different pads within the EDC territory. A pad is an area where geothermal steam is piped from the ground to the EDC plant. Co's team and his guides took the day off on November 14, the day of Manny Pacquiao's successful boxing bout against Antonio Margarito.

On the early morning of November 15, Monday, Co and four of his team mates left the geothermal plant staff house to resume fieldwork in pad 403, reportedly a choice site for collecting forest samples.

They reached the pad at around 9:30 a.m. and started their survey. It was a small, efficient team: Co and Cortez would examine trees and their leaves to identify their species. Policarpio Balute, a peasant guide, measured their diameter. Ronino Gibe, a forester, was in charge of recording the data observed. Borromeo brought their food and tools. The team had just finished marking a mayapis, syzigium and tanguile tree when a heavy rainshower prompted them to stop. They planned to go back to the nursery of the geothermal plant facility and texted driver of the EDC service vehicle to fetch them.

They were still waiting when the rain abated at around 11:15 a.m; Co decided to resume the survey. The fourth tree that they set out to identify was an interesting case, and the five men gathered all around it for a closer inspection.

That was the last tree that Co, Cortez, and Borromeo would ever survey. At around three in the afternoon, their three lifeless bodies, riddled with bullets, were carried by soldiers back to pad 403 and later on transported to the V. Rama Funeral Homes by the EDC. Balute and Gibe, shaken from their ordeal, were brought to a hospital in Ormoc City.

Military: Casualties of a “crossfire”

Initial media reports later quoted the local police and army as saying that the killings of the three men was the “unfortunate” result of a “legitimate military operation” in the forest area, where troops reportedly sighted and pursued New People's Army (NPA) rebels.

According to the police blotter of the Kananga Police Station, 38 troops from the 19th IB troops, led by First Lieutenant Ronald Odchimar and 2nd Lieutenant Cameron Perez, reportedly engaged in a firefight with around ten persons with long firearms, at Sitio Mahiao, Barangay Lim-ao. In the course of clearing operations, the troops "found out (sic) three dead bodies.” The military also reportedly received intelligence information about NPA sightings on November 12 and subsequently communicated this to the EDC. The 19th IB supposedly started conducting operations in the vicinity on Sunday, November 14.

In a press statement on November 17, 19th IB Commanding Officer Federico Tutaan said that their troops observing the area spotted around “seven men carrying high-powered firearms,” who opened fire upon sensing the government troops around 30 meters away. A ten-minute exchange of gunfire reportedly ensured, wounding “an determined number” of rebels and reaching the civilians “incidentally located within the line of fire.”

Survivors: We were the only ones there

However, doubts quickly surfaced as to whether a crossfire indeed occurred. Testimonies by Co's surviving crew, as well as subsequent inspections of the area, pointed out otherwise: that Co's team was alone in the area and was never caught in a clash between government and rebel forces.

Balute, a farmer who served as one of the team's local guides, recalled how they were closely studying the fourth tree when a rapid burst of gunfire from unseen shooters erupted around 30 to 40 meters behind the team.

“Doon lang galing sa may itaas lahat at isa lang ang direksyon,” Balute was quoted as saying. He denied hearing any exchange of shots that indicated a gunfight between opposing sides.

Co and his team mates dropped to the ground, with only tree branches and roots for cover. They pleaded for the shooting to stop. “Maawa kayo, hindi kami kalaban! (Have mercy, we are not enemies),” the survivors recalled Co pleading for mercy. He was already crying out in pain, having sustained a shot in the back.

“Dia lang diay mo!” (“Nandito lang pala kayo!”), someone from the group that fired at Co's team shouted back. They were continously assaulted by rapid gunfire and big explosions.

Balute decided to to flee the site because he was positioned at the back of a big tree; the four were still lying face down on the ground. Gibe, meanwhile, managed to creep towards another large tree and hide behind its buttress. Gibe dared not peep out of his hiding place for fear of being shot. His companions were no longer responding to his calls; one by one, they fell silent as gunfire riddled the ground for around twenty more minutes.

When the firing finally stopped, Gibe peeped out and saw soldiers in camouflage approaching them from both sides. He broke cover and raised his arms.

“Mas isa pa palang buhay dito (There is one more here alive),” a soldier ordered him to come out at gunpoint. Crying and shaking in fear, Gibe pleaded for medical help for his companions. Co and Cortez lay motionless while Borromeo was moaning in pain.

“Wala na, 'di na aabot sa ospital kasama mo (It's gone, your companion will not make it to the hospital),” another soldier told Gibe.

A soldier asked Gibe about his other two “armed” companions and asked the latter to show his weapons. Gibe denied that he or any other member of his team were armed.

“P...ina, natalay tayo!” one soldier exclaimed. Gibe was ordered to lie down on the ground while the troops took away his cellphone and GPS unit. Gibe identified himself as an EDC employee, explaining his group's purpose and activities in the area and the identities of Co and Borromeo. Gibe was instead further interrogated about the equipment he had on hand, including his notes and the map the team had, as well as his contacts from the EDC. He again asked for help for his companions. By this time, Borromeo was already bleeding, telling Gibe that he was hit near the heart. Gibe pleaded to the soldiers to help Borromeo.

“Wag kang maingay! Ligtas ka na! (Don't be noisy! You're already saved!),” another soldier told Gibe to shut up. It was around one in the afternoon.

Gibe remained lying face down for about two hours while the troops met and talked among themselves from a disance. He was then asked to stand up and answer the same questions they asked him earlier. The soliders asked Gibe if he knew about the military's operations in the area, saying that it was impossible for Gibe's group to miss the three armed men the soldiers were observing for thirty minutes. Gibe said that his group did not see anyone and again asked for held for Borromeo.

The troops then gave first aid to Borromeo, and called his condition peklat (scar). At this point, Gibe asked for his cellphone and called his superiors from EDC to relay details of the incident. He was then ordered by troops to proceed back to pad 403. It was around two in the afternoon.

The walk down was the last time Gibe saw Borromeo alive. Borromeo was laid on a sack and brought down by the soldiers. At around three in the afternoon, an EDC service vehicle arrived to send Gibe to a hospital in Ormoc. He later learned that Borromeo died while at the pad.

Scientists: No signs of a crossfire

Around ten days after the killing, an independent citizens fact-finding mission (FFM) was organized from November 26 to 28 to gather testimonies and other relevant information on the case. Led by Agham-Advocates of Science and Technology for the People and the Justice for Leonard Co Movement, the 33-member team composed of scientists, experts, environmental advocates, human rights workers, and journalists gathered testimonies, documentation and observations from people involved in the incident, the local police, the 19th IB, and the EDC staff. The team documented the findings from their interviews.

They went back to the site of the killing and to the ridge where the soldiers supposedly shot it out with rebel troops. Among the significant observations noted in the site was that the direction of the bullet marks on the trees originated from a vantage point on the ridge above Co and his team. The direction of the bullet marks was bearing downwards and mainly concentrated in the area where Co's team was standing.

Tree number four, where the group gathered around for one last time, was hit three times. The large tree that saved Gibe from certain death had six bullet marks on it. In contrast, the team did not observe any bullet marks on the trees from the ground looking up to the ridge or from any side.

The only consistent explanation for these key observations, the team concluded, would be that the military was positioned on top of the ridge and firing towards Co's team. There was no indication of any crossfire. By waiting for at least an hour before bringing Co's team down to pad 403, despite Gibe and Borromeo's repeated requests, the 19th IB troops likewise failed to provide immediate medical attention and hospital treatment to Borromeo, which prolonged his agony and ultimately led to his death.

The FFM team recommended specific actions related to the 19th IB and the EDC. All military personnel connected to the chain of command related to the shooting must be included in the investigation and filing of charges, their firearms secured and surrendered to the proper authorities. The liability of the troops who failed to give Borromeo immediate medical attention and evacuation must also be pursued. The EDC, on the other hand, must fully cooperate into clarifying their communication, security coordination protocols. All documents that would further shed light on the truth must be made available.

The case has just began, but life will never be the same for the loved ones of the “Kananga Three,” after that fateful morning on November 15. Borromeo and Cortez were both laid to rest on November 25 by their families in Leyte. They left behind six and three children, respectively. Co was cremated on November 23 in Quezon City. Part of his ashes have been scattered over a dita tree at the University of the Philippines, home to Co's humble yet beloved herbarium. His only child, still a young girl, will have to learn to love the trees of this country without her father. Their families and colleagues continue to seek answers to the unresolved questions behind their deaths. The full extent of circumstances that have led to the 19th IB's killing of Co, Cortez, and Borromeo have yet to be affirmed by the government bodies tasked to investigate the case.

Grief can know no closure without truth and justice. The culprits accountable for the crimes have to be made accountable for this transgression of human rights; the truth should be pursued up to the very end. Only then can we begin to overcome the impunity that killed three good men, one rainy morning in the silent forests of Kananga.

This article was published in the September-December 2010 issue of Feedback, CEC's newsletter.

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