MANILA (UCAN): A regional trial court in Tarlac, the Philippines, jailed former policeman, Jonel Nuezca—nine months after he shot and killed a mother and son during an altercation in Paniqui, Tarlac [Sunday Examiner, January 3]. The one time senior master sergeant was sentenced to serve 20 to 40 years on each count of murder on August 26.
Off-duty at the time, and with his daughter, Nuezca had tried to arrest his neighbour, 25-year-old Frank Gregorio, for firing an air cannon made out of bamboo on 20 December 2020. A heated argument broke out and Nuezca opened fire when Gregorio’s mother, Sonya, intervened.
Footage of the shooting, taken by another neighbour and shared on social media, showed Nuezca shooting 52-year-old Sonya Gregorio while she was on the ground and then walking off with his daughter.
He reportedly said, “Son of a bitch, you want me to finish you off now?” before killing the victims.
The crime shocked the nation and the conviction is considered swift justice in a country where cases often take five to 10 years to pass through the judicial system.
Father Diogenes Encarnacion of the Diocese of Digos, in Davao province, said the case should serve as a warning to police who think they are above the law.
“May this case bring you fear that in the end justice will prevail. No one is above the law and your firearms are meant to protect and not to harm or kill the people you ought to protect and serve,” Father Encarnacion said.
“Police [officers] should not be breakers of the law; rather, they should uphold it. Your effectivity is not based on the number of people that you kill but on the number of lives you protect,” he said.
The court also ordered Nuezca to pay 952,560 pesos [$148,200] to the families of the victims.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Following the killings, Bishop Enrique Macaraeg of Tarlac, lamented, “Impunity has become ingrained [in society] as we saw the daughter [of Nuezca], having taunted the mother and son, walking away unaffected by the murder. That this murder happened during these holy days preparing for Christmas makes us bow in shame, guilt, and shock.”
He added, “There is no escape from God’s punishment. Killing is wrong. Murder is evil”
According to government figures, police killings in the Philippines have increased by 50 per cent since Covid-19 lockdowns began in April 2020, with almost 7,500 people killed by the end of July 2021.
