Leonard Co

Leonardo Legaspi Co (December 29, 1953 in Manila – November 15, 2010 in Kananga, Leyte ) was a Filipino botanist and plant taxonomist who was considered the "foremost authority in ethnobotany in the Philippines" during his lifetime.

Education and early career Co's education in Botany did not follow the usual track. He did not finish his bachelor's degree until 2008 because he was always too busy doing research out in the field. Dr. Perry Ong, director of the Institute of Biology at the University of the Philippines Diliman summed it up at Co's wake by saying "Leonard Co entered UP as botany freshman in the early 70s and never left". While practicing acupuncture he met his wife Glenda Flores, whom he married on June 12, 1990. Aside from these, two species of Philippine endemic plants have been named in his honor: the Mycaranthes leonardi orchid

A year before his death, Co also documented the flora of the Bataan National Park, coming up with a catalog that lists 160 unique plant species, essential for guiding reforestation efforts on the 23,668-hectare park centered around Mount Natib.

Co organized Classroom Without Walls, a lecture tour conducted in Philippine forests to teach biodiversity.

Death

Co, forester Sofronio Cortez, and farmer Julius Borromeo, were working on a biodiversity project under the auspices of the Energy Development Corporation when they were killed in an incident involving nine members of the 19th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' 8th Infantry Division in the forests of Kananga, Leyte, on November 15, 2010. He and the group were examining a tree when the shooting began, and three bullets hit Co; resulting in death within 20 minutes. He was 56.

Members of the army unit claimed that Co's group had been caught in the crossfire in a fight between their unit and the New People's Army, but this claim was challenged by numerous investigating groups, including the Philippine National Police and the Philippines' Commission on Human Rights. The Department of Justice eventually filed charges against the soldiers involved, and the case is currently in the courts, charging nine soldiers with reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide. The Co family's appeal to the DOJ to upgrade the charges to murder remains pending as of 2022.

Burial and legacy During his wake, Co was conferred the rare honor of having his coffin briefly displayed in front of the University of the Philippines Diliman's copy of the UP Oblation - the iconic symbol of the University of the Philippines. Another third was given to the UP Institute of Biology and scattered under one of UP's trees, to symbolize that Co would always be a part of the university.

In 2022, Filipino illustrator Raxenne Maniquiz designed "Rafflesiaceae of the Philippines", a poster showing rare endemic plants in Philippine tropical forests, inspired by a map made by Co and his colleagues.

"Mga Rebolusyonaryo," a mural depicting Co, chemist Maria Orosa, and botanist Eduardo Quisumbing was unveiled at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in 2024.

The Leonard Co Lecture Series was scheduled to be launched on November 21, 2025.

Publications Philippine Botanical Treasures and the Legacy of Leonardo L. Co: November 19 and 20, 2011, Tambunting Hall, National Museum of the Philippines