Ode to a Botanist
by Janine Liwanag
According to Merriam-Webster, a “niche” in biology can be defined in two ways: (1) “a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species” and (2) “the ecological role of an organism in a community, especially with regard to food consumption.”
For Filipino scientist Leonardo L. Co, he found his niche in nature. Co dedicated over half of his life to Philippine botany, not only studying and discovering different plants but also communicating such findings with a larger audience through his publications. He fit himself into that role and played it so well, inspiring many Filipinos from inside and outside the scientific community.
As an undergraduate student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, he co-founded the UP Botanical Society (UPBS). He published “A Manual on Some Philippine Medicinal Plants” with UPBS in 1977. This 193-page book popularized the use of local herbal medicines to treat common illnesses and served as a foundation for future publications. Starting in 2000, he served as the principal investigator of the Palanan Forest Dynamics Plot Project in Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Palanan, Isabela. On a 16-hectare plot in Palanan Forest, Co marked and measured at least 100,000 trees, which were later mapped out in “Forest trees of Palanan, Philippines: A study in population ecology” that he published in 2006.
Throughout the years, Co wore many hats as a taxonomist, ethnopharmacologist, field botanist, conservationist, museum researcher, lecturer, community doctor, acupuncturist, linguist, leader, and activist. At the end of the day, all of these culminated in his calling as a scientist for the people.
That is why it is so tragic that in the forest, surrounded by the flora and fauna to which he had dedicated his life’s work, Leonard Co was slain by the state who had sworn to protect the Filipino people.
On Nov. 15, 2010, while conducting fieldwork for a reforestation project in the Manawan-Kananga Watershed in Leyte, Co was shot to death with forest guard Sofronio Cortez and farmer Julius Borromeo by the 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Lt. Col. Federico Tutaan of the 19th IB claimed that Co’s team was caught in a “crossfire” between AFP and communist rebels from the New People’s Army (NPA). However, survivors from Co’s team testified that there was no such crossfire, and this was also proven by investigators.
Of the AFP soldiers, a lieutenant and eight troopers were charged only with reckless imprudence, resulting in multiple homicide and attempted homicide, while 27 others were charged with obstruction of justice. Co’s wife, Glenda, appealed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) back in 2010 to raise the charges to murder, but to this day, court hearings are still ongoing for the case.
Even thirteen years later, the victims’ family and friends still call for justice.
Leonard Co is not an isolated case. In 2015, physicist Kim Gargar was arrested in a clash between the 67th IB of AFP and NPA in Aliwagwag, Davao Oriental, with charges of violation of the election gun ban, two counts of attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosives. But in reality, Gargar was only there to evaluate super typhoon Pablo’s impact on biodiversity in the area.
Just last February 2022, volunteer Lumad teacher, activist, and computer science graduate Chad Booc was killed by the 10th Infantry Division of AFP in New Bataan together with fellow Lumad teacher Gelejurain Ngujo II, community health worker Elgyn Balonga, and two drivers. AFP claimed that Booc and his companions were caught in an “encounter” with members of NPA, but this was denied by CPP-NPA and further refuted by forensic pathologist Dr. Racquel Fortun, who conducted an autopsy and found that the manner of death was homicide.
The list of innocent lives lost at the hands of the state goes on and on. Field biologists, environmental activists, and community health workers — these Filipinos working in service of the country continuously live in danger of harassment, imprisonment, abduction, and even death.
For a scientist, being able to work in the field should be a right. A day-to-day job. An exciting opportunity to hone one’s skills, meet community members, and perhaps even discover a new species.
Instead, Filipino scientists are red-tagged for simply coming from UP and are barred by the state from conducting research in the field. Those caught exploring the forest are mistaken for members of the NPA and shot on sight. No chance to introduce themselves or to explain what their research is about. Dead, just like that.
Some say that Leonard Co’s death set Philippine botany back by years. In his wake, Co left behind two long-term projects that he was stripped of the opportunity to finish. One was an illustrated checklist of Philippine vascular flora, his version of American botanist E. D. Merrill’s checklist that was published way back in the 1920s. Constantly updating the list by adding new species, revising species names, and including more information, Co shared numerous drafts with colleagues and students who needed it. Similarly, he also kept a vast, informative, and organized collection of plant photographs that he did not hesitate to share with others.
AFP did not know this when they saw Co and his team that day in Leyte. They did not know that Leonard Co had a working knowledge of at least 10,000 plant species and that he had discovered eight new species of Philippine plants. They did not know that he had named his only daughter “Linnaea” after the twinflower Linnaea borealis, and little Linnaea would end up losing her father at only twelve years old.
All they knew was — Oh, here is a group of men we do not recognize. Must be communists. Must be our enemies. Eliminate them.
They should not have to know. It should not be so easy for them to see an unfamiliar group and do something so irreversible that affects not only the victims’ friends and families but the entire Philippine nation, who benefit from the work these people do in research, education, and community organizing. It should not be such a regular occurrence, something Filipinos are no longer surprised to hear in the news, for innocent people’s lives to be taken by the military because of fake “encounters” and “crossfires.”
Instead of supporting Filipino scientists by protecting their lives, especially in the fields during their work, the government allows criminals to run free and prolongs judicial processes. Linnaea, Leonard Co’s daughter, is already twice the age she was when her father died. Justice still has yet to be served for Leonard Co and his companions.
Instead of supporting Filipino scientists by increasing funding and facilities for research, the government further promotes this culture of state violence by allocating larger budgets for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Numerous progressives have been endangered by NTF-ELCAC, such as environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, who were abducted and then presented in an NTF-ELCAC press conference as “voluntary surrenderees” before they revealed the truth to the media.
Instead of supporting Filipino scientists by fixing the systemic issues such as delayed wages and understaffing that push scientists to leave the country in the first place, the government attempts to solve the “brain drain” by legally binding Filipinos to stay and serve the country through mechanisms like the Return Service Agreement of UP Manila. But when Filipinos do decide to serve the country by going into far-flung areas and serving as community health workers, they suffer from state harassment. Such is the case of Dr. Natividad “Naty” Castro, a UP College of Medicine alumna who was tagged by the Anti-Terrorism Council in 2022 as a “terrorist” and arrested for trumped-up charges. Dr. Castro was known by colleagues and family for her human rights and development work with Lumad communities in Mindanao.
Last year, the Philippines solidified its place as the most dangerous country in Asia to be a land and environmental defender for the 10th consecutive year, according to a report by international non-governmental organization Global Witness. In the past year and a half alone, since President Marcos Jr. took office as head of state, at least 18 community organizers and activists have been abducted, including Tamano and Castro.
At an early age, children so often hear occupations like “scientist” and “doctor,” pushed to dream of becoming such when they grow older so they can save the world, help people, or at the very least make a lot of money.
But this is the sad reality for scientists in the Philippines. Beyond the low wages and long hours, other dangers await in the fields.
As we commemorate the 13th death anniversary of Leonard Co this Nov. 15, 2023, we reiterate the calls for justice to finally be served. It is high time for the DOJ to act on the appeal to raise the charges of the involved AFP troops to murder, especially after the troops had already admitted to intentionally targeting the victims. Prolonging the resolution of this case is gross disrespect to the victims’ families, who have invested so much time, money, and energy into the case. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Let us also honor all the others who passed before and after Leonard Co in the pursuit of knowledge, passion, and service to the Filipino people. As we remember their names, faces, and contributions, we call for accountability from the state in the perpetration of this culture of impunity that allows the military to get away with such crimes.
Stop the killings. Instead of undervaluing and endangering scientists’ research, the government must be at the forefront of supporting scientists’ work and protecting their lives.
If the dictionary defines a “niche” as “a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species,” then it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that its citizens have the resources necessary to not only find their niche but also make the most out of it without worrying for their lives. Instead of pressuring young Filipinos to pursue science and serve the country, the state must first create an environment that will allow our scientists to flourish.
#JusticeForLeonardCo
#StoptheKillings
