PHILIPPINES: Murder: Occupational hazard for committed environmentalists
Copyright 2001 Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 07, 2001
IT happened in the morning of June 24, 1998. As Ric Serrano made his way through the usual traffic of Quezon City, armed men stopped in front of his car and blasted away.
Three years later, the case still remains unsolved though not entirely for lack of interest and effort by the government, rather through the cunning methods of the killers. It was common knowledge that Serrano, then Central Luzon Director up for appointment as an Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, had a lot of enemies because of the way he clamped down on illegal loggers in Central Luzon.
He also closed down factories he deemed environmentally unfit, especially those near rivers and watersheds, knowing the impact of these on nearby rainforests. A high-ranking official of the DENR, who chooses not to be named disclosed that, "anybody in Region III would be willing to pay a fat sum for the head of Ric, especially to derail his appointment."
Investigators zeroed in on the different slighted groups, from factory owners to illegal loggers, hoping to find a lead. True enough, witnesses slowly began coming out, one linking a factory owned by families closely affiliated to the Cojuangcos, the very same Cojuangcos of former President Cory Aquino. A very dangerous accusation to make being that the Cojuangcos still wield far reaching influence as one of the oldest political dynasties.
Nevertheless, the case was pursued by those loyal to Serrano and as pieces of the puzzle fell into place, they began building a case. Even the involvement of Serrano’s driver in the incident was also exposed, belying trails of an insider job. But before the case could be heard, witnesses began dying or disappearing. One witness, a jeepney driver who says he heard the plans to kill Serrano by a group of hit men, dropped out of sight with the entire family.
Even the lead investigator, a colonel, died in a mysterious car crash. "Everytime we get a lead, we run into a dead end with another witness dead or gone," shares the frustrated wife of Serrano.
It’s always the same. A brave soul steps up to the challenge of saving the forests or waterways, only to get killed by hired goons of political warlords. While vows are made to pursue justice, nothing usually happens. The case dies either due to lack of evidence, witnesses or real efforts to investigate the case.