Brutal murders involving police officers provoke outrage

Manila, Philippines – The brutal murder of a woman and her child at the hands of an off-duty police officer in Paniqui, Tarlac province, on Sunday, which was captured in a video that went viral on social media, was an act of “pure evil” and emblematic of the culture of violence and impunity within the ranks of the Philippine National Police, senators said Monday.

“Impunity breeds trigger-happy police officers,” said Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.

“As long as the culture of impunity exists in the country, and when a system exists that rewards misdeeds instead of punishing them, abuses and police violence will continue,” he said in a statement.

‘Unspeakable’

Drilon said that the actions of Police Sergeant Major Jonel Nuezca, who turned himself in to authorities after shooting Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, who were unarmed, point-blank, were “indescribable”.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have shared videos of the incident and its aftermath on Facebook and Twitter.

“I should spend Christmas and my whole life in jail. That devil who committed an evil act in front of his own daughter deserves to rot in jail, ”Drilon said.

“Where is our society headed?” Senator Risa Hontiveros asked in a post on Twitter.

Senator Francis Pangilinan said: “The incident is an outrage. That is the result of tolerating and refusing to punish abusive and corrupt police officers ”.

“We hope this administration condemns the incident and makes sure the perpetrator is prosecuted rather than condoning or promoting these corrupt and abusive police officers,” he said.

President Duterte will not protect Nuezca, said his spokesman, Harry Roque.

“We condemn the Tarlac incident. I want to make it clear that this is not a service-related double murder. If we’re not mistaken, this is a right-of-way dispute. That policeman cannot invoke the defense that the murder was related to duty, “Roque said at a press conference.

The murders will be treated as an ordinary murder case and will be investigated, and the perpetrator will be charged, he said.

“No buts, no buts. There will be justice because we saw the evidence. The president will not protect you. We condemn this ”, added Roque.

‘Show no mercy’

Senator Panfilo Lacson, former head of the PNP, said that Nuezca should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“If what is on video tells the whole story, I ask the leaders of the PNP not to show mercy,” he said.

“They should spare no effort to make sure he rots in jail. He’s the last cop they need [on] the force, ”Lacson said.

He recommended that police officers turn over their service firearms to their unit gunsmith or supply officer when they are not on duty, and that they not be granted permits to carry them.

“The PNP must always uphold its motto, ‘Serve and Protect. That includes taking the proper steps to protect our people from the scoundrels in their ranks, whether they are on duty or not, ”Lacson said.

Senator Nancy Binay urged all law enforcement agencies to undertake a “top-down reorientation of values” to end the culture of impunity that was fueling police abuses.

Binay emphasized the need to introduce structural and internal reforms, particularly in the implementation of stricter accountability for roving policemen.

“Police behavior and practices must be directed toward the desire to help people and the community,” Binay said.

He also said there should be a “more rigid psychological evaluation” in conjunction with the officers’ physical fitness tests to ensure the highest standards are met and rogue officers are eliminated.

“Something is deeply wrong when there are high-ranking police officers and soldiers who break the law,” Binay said.

Call for investigation

Spokesman Lord Allan Velasco offered his condolences to the Gregorio family and said that Nuezca “must not go unpunished.”

The killings, he said, “highlight the need for PNP leaders to remind their ranks” of the proper and responsible use of their weapons and that they must, as far as possible, apply non-violent means at all times. “

Agusan del Norte’s representative, Lawrence Fortun, condemned the killings as an example of “police brutality” and said it was far from being an “isolated incident.”

“I ask the Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevarra to order the National Investigations Bureau to take over the case. The PNP must relinquish custody and jurisdiction over the police officer. These moves would be prudent and legal. The investigation must be quick. Criminal charges in court must be filed urgently, ”Fortun said.

On Monday, charges of double homicide were filed against Nuezca in Room 67 of the Paniqui Regional Court of First Instance.

Manuel Pascua Jr., the deputy provincial prosecutor, had found probable cause to charge Nuezca with two counts of murder and did not recommend bail.

Documents released by the Tarlac police office showed that Nuezca was subjected to the mandatory drug test, but the police officer invoked his right to refuse to submit to a paraffin test.

Justice Secretary Guevarra said the Department of Justice (DOJ) would monitor the prosecution of Nuezca.

“I am concerned that altercations like that … could suddenly result in death,” Guevarra told the Inquirer.

“The Justice Department will closely monitor developments in this case and ensure that justice is served,” he said.

Nuezca is attached to the Parañaque police crime lab. A Parañaque police officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, described Nuezca as “hotheaded.”

delivered

“We were not aware that he had prior criminal and administrative cases prior to being assigned here,” the officer said.

Nuezca admitted to the killings when he turned himself in to police in Rosales, Pangasinan province, hours after the shooting.

“I was tired [with the behavior of the Gregorios]”Police Major Fernando Fernández, Rosales Police Chief, told the Inquirer, citing Nuezca’s statement delivered to investigators.

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Noriel Rambaoa, Paniqui’s police chief, Nuezca confronted Frank Anthony Gregorio after Gregorio fired a “vogue,” a noisemaker banned on New Year’s Eve.

An altercation ensued between the two, and Sonya Gregorio stepped in and pleaded for her son. But Nuezca pulled out his M-92 9mm service pistol and began dragging Frank Gregorio away.

The mother tried to prevent her son from being taken by wrapping her arms around him and hugging him. At that moment, Nuezca’s daughter arrived and shouted: “My father is a policeman.”

“I don’t care,” yelled the mother.

Nuezca shot the mother in the head, then shot the son twice. The two fell to the ground and Nuezca fired at the mother again before removing her jacket and helmet and driving away with her daughter on a motorcycle.

Investigators said that Nuezca briefly hid at his relatives’ home in the city of Urdaneta, but later turned himself in to Rosales police. He also surrendered his firearm.

Police Colonel Renante Cabico, Tarlac provincial police chief, said the confrontation was not just because Frank Gregorio fired the vogue. He said a right-of-way issue at the Nuezca and Gregorio properties in Barangay Cabayaoasan, Paniqui, was also featured in the altercation.

“This is just an isolated case. The suspect was simply carried away by the situation triggered by the shooting of a vogue. Everything happened spontaneously, ”said Cabico.

The PNP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government called Nuezca a “rotten egg,” but the human rights group Karapatan disagreed.

In a statement, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said that the “ruthless murder” of the Gregorio “was a dangerous and chilling effect of the impunity that reigns in the Philippines.”

‘No isolated incident’

“This is not an isolated incident, especially when governance and culture are driven by the rabid kill-kill-kill policy of President Rodrigo Duterte,” added Palabay.

The Commission on Human Rights (HRC) condemned the killings and said the Philippines could not claim adherence to human rights principles while “allowing impunity to worsen by failing to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.”

In a statement, CDH spokeswoman Jacqueline de Guia said the agency would investigate the killings, that it “reechoe[d] our call to government [to] conduct investigations into all allegations of arbitrary homicide. “

“The promises made by the government to improve the human rights situation in the country must be translated into improvements in the situation on the ground. We have seen death after death, ”De Guía said. “How [many] plus [before] the killings stop? –WITH REPORTS FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING, MARLON RAMOS, DEXTER CABALZA, JULIE M. AURELIO, MARIA ADELAIDA CALAYAG AND YOLANDA SOTELO INQ

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