Brutal killings involving cop spark outrage inquirer.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Senators seek inquiry into series of killings of citizens to break culture of impunity By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News
Published December 21, 2020 6:45pm Six senators on Monday sought a legislative investigation into the series of killings in the country, including that of a mother and her son who were shot dead by a cop in Tarlac. At least 15 doctors, lawyers, journalists, and other members of the community had been killed in a span of just six months this year, from July to December, Senators Joel Villanueva, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri pointed out in filing Senate Resolution No. 600.
December 21, 2020
Sergeant Jonel Nuezca shot his neighbour point blank over a dispute and now facing murder charges.
Philippine National Police
MANILA - Just days before Christmas, Filipinos woke up on Monday morning (Dec 21) to a harrowing five-minute video of an off-duty police officer shooting point blank at a neighbour and her son in broad daylight over some disputes in front of a small crowd.
The incident was shocking and disturbing for its portrayal of brazen impunity, critics said. It has also once again cast a harsh light on perceived abuses by policemen purportedly emboldened by a president said to be mollycoddling officers carrying out his bloody drug war.
Vice President Leni Robredo
(OVP / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement, Robredo said that “there will be those who will lay all blame on the person who pulled the trigger, as if he were not part of a larger architecture of impunity.”
“Despite a clear pattern of brutality and a string of cases that made his propensity for violence apparent, the leadership allowed him to remain in service: May tsapa, may baril (with badge and a gun),” Robredo said.
On Monday morning, a viral video showed the suspect, Police Senior Master Sgt. Joel Nuezca, shot dead his two neighbors Sonya and Frank Anthony Gregorio after a verbal altercation over the victims’ use of “boga” or noisemaker in their hometown.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque assured the public that the policeman would be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable for the incident.
“Magkakaroon po ng katarungan dahil nakita naman natin ang ebidensya ng pangyayari. Hindi ‘yan poprotektahan ng Presidente, kinokondena natin yan (There will be justice because we have seen the evidence of the incident. The President will not protect him. We condemn the incident),” he said during an online press conference in Davao City.
Roque said the incident involving the cop would be treated as “ordinary murder cases” and not related to police service.