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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to distance himself from alleged abuses by law enforcement officers under his supervision, following a nationwide protest over the murder of a mother and her child by a police officer, who was captured in video and spread like wildfire on social media.
In a televised speech Monday night, Duterte said the shootings were “too brutal,” describing the agent involved as having a “mental disorder,” including when a chorus of condemnation broke out and Vice President Leni Robredo, an opposition politician. , condemned “a broader architecture of impunity” in the country.
“Don’t include those crazy policemen and soldiers from my affection for the police and the military,” Duterte said in Filipino, vowing to make sure the suspect couldn’t get away with his crime.
“I don’t think he can escape the rigors of justice because he was caught on television,” he said.
“You don’t follow the law, you kill people, so I’m sorry. That is not part of our agreement on how we should do our job, ”Duterte added. The president had previously sworn to protect law enforcement from prosecution.
The shock and anger quickly spread after Police Sergeant Major Jonel Nuezca shot 52-year-old Sonya Gregorio point-blank while trying to protect her son, Frank, who also died. Nuezca’s little daughter witnessed the shootings.
The incident on Sunday afternoon, in the Tarlac province north of Metro Manila, was captured on video and shared thousands of times on different social media platforms overnight, dominated the headlines in the Philippines.
The suspect later turned himself in to authorities and police said Monday afternoon that he had been charged with the murder of the mother and son.
‘Clear pattern of brutality’
On Monday night, Robredo, the vice president said that despite “a clear pattern of brutality and a series of cases” committed by the officer involved, “the management allowed him to remain in the service.” The officer involved was also charged with committing murder in 2019.
He said that not only “the person who pulled the trigger” could be blamed but the “larger structure” that allowed such murders to occur.
“We are bound by horror, pain and empathy for Sonya and Frank Gregorio, as we are bound to condemn their senseless murders and the murders of so many innocents in recent years.”
Duterte’s comments that the murders were “caught on television” also drew criticism, with netizens questioning the lack of action taken by the alleged police involvement in several past incidents that were not caught on camera.
Opposition senator Leila de Lima, who is in prison for what her supporters say are fabricated drug charges, condemned Duterte, saying she had “no credibility” in the police brutality.
“This is the very fruit of the poisonous culture of death that he managed to implant in our society.”
The Secretary of the Interior, Eduardo Ano, condemned the murders, but defended the police as an institution, describing the incident as “regrettable but isolated.”
However, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights noted in June that Duterte’s comments about the killings in the country “may have incited violence and may have had the effect of encouraging, supporting or even ordering rights violations. humans with impunity ”.
The Philippine Human Rights Commission said the latest killings were “brazen and senseless” and called for an investigation into the incident.
“We have seen death after death. How much longer until the killings stop, ”said CDH spokeswoman Jacqueline de Guia in a statement.
This is our collective pain. https://t.co/F4cLH9809E
– Jeff Canoy (@jeffcanoy) December 22, 2020
The recently appointed Philippine Police Chief Debold Sinas himself has also been accused by Human Rights Watch of having a “disturbing human rights record.”
According to the group, while Sinas was regional police chief on the island of Negros between July 2018 and October 2019, “activists, peasants, union leaders, and lawyers were killed in a series of murders and massacres.”
‘Creating monsters’
In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, Edre Olalia, from the National Union of People’s Lawyers, said that in recent years senior government officials “guarantees of impunity and even a pat on the back” ran the risk of “inspiring” police officers. and law enforcement officers.
“You create monsters in our midst ready to go crazy anytime, anywhere,” Olalia said.
When you have these people running the country, the brutal and blatant murder of the Gregorio’s isn’t really that surprising.
Philippines’ Duterte confesses to ‘war on drugs’ carnage https://t.co/N5XzJ8bU9y
The new Philippine police chief has a troubling record https://t.co/KVAmfSRGvL
– Carlos H. Conde (@condeHRW) December 21, 2020
Earlier this month, the anti-drug unit in a northern Philippine province was disbanded after two of its police officers were tagged as prime suspects in the murder and beheading of a man.
In June, police officers from Jolo, Sulu were also caught on video shooting and killing four men, who turned out to be military intelligence officers pursuing suspects from Abu Sayyaf.
And in April, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a police officer in Metro Manila was also caught on camera shooting a retired soldier who was accused of violating lockdown orders, despite his repeated pleas that he was unarmed. and suffered from postoperative. traumatic stress disorder. The officer involved was later charged with murder and fabricating evidence.
In a December 14 report, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that crimes against humanity had been committed in connection with the killing of at least 5,300 people in the so-called war. by Duterte Drogas
Human rights defenders say up to 27,000 people had been killed by mid-2019, including victims killed by “unknown gunmen”, some of whom later turned out to be police officers.
In 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, Al Jazeera also tracked several other reported killings.
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