Nuezca expresses regret over shooting incident

MANILA, Philippines — The police sergeant who shot dead a mother and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac on Sunday has expressed regret over his actions.

Breaking his silence on the grisly killing, M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca yesterday said he regretted shooting his neighbors Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, at point-blank range, an incident which was caught on video and has since gone viral on social media.

“Yes sir, yes sir,” Nuezca said in a television interview aired over GMA News when asked if he has regrets what happened.

Nuezca refused to comment when asked for a message to the family of his victims. Asked why he killed the two, the policeman replied that he would just answer questions in the court.

Gregorio’s husband, Florentino, said the family wants justice and will never forgive Nuezca, stressing that the policeman is arrogant and has been a problem in their community.

“Siya yung astig talaga na gusto kilalanin. Basta umuwi ’yan, tiyak may gulo (He is such a hot-head who wants to be recognized. Whenever he comes home, there’s commotion, for sure),” Florentino said in the same television interview.

Ronalyn, Frank Anthony’s wife, wants the policeman to rot in jail for the rest of his life.

“Humihingi ho ako ng hustisya lalo na sa asawa ko (I am seeking justice, especially for my husband),” she said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas said they are looking for the person who took the viral video to get her sworn statement.

Sinas added that investigators are doing their work diligently to ensure an airtight case.

“If the video is accepted as evidence, the case is really strong,” he said in Filipino.

Who are Nuezca’s padrinos?

Nuezca is likely to have several protectors within and outside the police force, according to Sen. Imee Marcos.

Marcos yesterday said the murder suspect “could even be a regular hitman.”

“Sino ang mga padrino nito (Who are this guy’s sponsors)? The guy is clearly inured to shooting people like target practice, using his service firearm,” Marcos added.

Nuezca’s police record shows his involvement last year in two homicide cases, both of which were either dropped or dismissed.

Quoting police records, Marcos said Nuezca was also suspended for refusing to take a drug test in 2014, but dodged a grave misconduct case in 2013 and serious neglect of duty in 2016 for failing to appear as a prosecution witness in a drug case.

“His immediate superiors must be automatically included in the investigation, according to Republic Act (RA) 8551,” Marcos said, citing the law meant to reform and reorganize the PNP.

“RA 8551 needs to be amended and strengthened. Clear lapses are being committed in the psychological and drug tests for police personnel as well as the periodic review of their behavior,” she added.

A strong padrino and frat system was defeating the PNP’s efforts since 2018 to prevent influence-peddling in police recruitment through the Robust, Neuro-Psychiatric, Medical and Dental System or RONMEDDS program.

The RONMEDDS program that barcodes regional health service processes was put in place because results of periodic psychological and drug tests were being bought or negotiated by political sponsors and classmates of police recruits and personnel, according to Marcos.

The senator also called on the PNP to “stop the proliferation of illegal firearms, especially in the northern provinces.”

‘Clear pattern of brutality’

Vice President Leni Robredo has blamed the PNP leadership for allowing Nuezca to remain in service “despite a clear pattern of brutality” and “a string of cases that made his propensity for violence apparent.”

In a statement on Monday night, Robredo said the blame could not just be pointed “on the person who pulled the trigger” but “a larger structure” that allowed such killings to happen.

“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,” she added.

Capital punishment

Sen. Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa said Nuezca should be meted the capital punishment if only the country has a death penalty law.

“(Critics) don’t want the death penalty,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a text message in Filipino.

The senator, who is a former PNP chief, described Nuezca’s “cold-blooded killing” as double murder and a heinous crime that should be punishable by death.

“But up to now, the death penalty bill that I co-authored is moving excruciatingly slow (at the Senate),” Dela Rosa said, adding that he remains unsure if the bill would be approved in the upper chamber.

Asked how such a law could help reduce heinous crimes, he replied: “Deterrence. Who would want to kill a person if he knows he will be killed via the death penalty?”

Dela Rosa also did not pose any objection to citizens taking videos of apparent criminal incidents “if he or she is willing to take the risk, as the shooter might turn his ire on them.”

“But video recording of crimes happening before your eyes is very useful in criminal investigation. It is a great help to police investigators,” he said.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao also condemned the killing of the Gregorios, saying it made the reimposition of the death penalty more urgent.

“Nuezca was very casual and did not appear to hesitate at all when he shot the mother and her son, who did not have any weapon at all. Maybe he thought that our laws are weak and he can easily survive jail with his horrible crime,” Pacquiao said in Filipino.

“That’s the  same mindset that prompts criminals to carry out even the most heinous of crimes,” he added.

The senator appealed to the public not to condemn the PNP as an institution as there still are many upright policemen and Nuezca is “just one of the few rotten eggs in their organization.”

“Instead of condemning our policemen, let’s help them so they can feel the care and trust of the people they serve,” he said.

Sen. Joel Villanueva, however, maintained his stance against the death penalty, but said he remains open to discussing the measure.

“I’m open to discussion and debates, but you can only convince me if we have a working and efficient justice system,” Villanueva said.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri appealed to the House of Representatives to approve the bill he, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Richard Gordon authored that seeks to create a super maximum security prison for those convicted of heinous crimes.

“A life in isolation is a fitting punishment to these murderers, drug lords, rapists and plunderers. We request our counterparts in Congress to fast-track the approval as we have approved it on third and final reading on Dec. 16, 2019, which is over a year ago,” Zubiri said.

Probe on unlawful kilings

Villanueva also reiterated calls for a Senate probe on the series of unlawful killings of citizens in the wake of the attack against the Gregorios in Tarlac.

Villanueva said he and fellow senators Gatchalian, Zubiri, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay and Grace Poe filed Senate Resolution 600 seeking a public hearing into “the series of unlawful killings of citizens, including doctors, lawyers, journalists and members of other professions, with the end in view of identifying gaps in law enforcement, ensuring the attainment of justice for all victims and breaking the culture of impunity, especially among law enforcement agencies.”

Aside from the fatal shooting of the Gregorios, Villanueva said the resolution also cited the various unresolved killings of doctors, lawyers, journalists and other advocates in various parts of the country.

The senators on Monday said the senseless killing of the Gregorios highlights the prevailing culture of impunity among law enforcement agencies that should never be allowed to persist.

“No words can capture the outrage we feel over the cold-blooded murder of a mother and her son in broad daylight by a police officer who took an oath to serve and to protect the people. Given that the suspect is now in custody, we expect that the PNP leadership will leave no stone unturned and ensure that they will see through the filing of the case against the suspect until justice is served,” Villanueva said.

“We must put an end to the culture of impunity once and for all. We cannot let our workers such as doctors, lawyers, journalists, advocates and even ordinary citizens live in fear and insecurity, and suffer senseless deaths,” the chairman of the Senate labor committee added.

Villanueva said among the cases include that of Dr. Mary Rose Sancelan, health officer and COVID Task Force head of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental who was shot dead on Dec. 15 by unidentified assailants.

The resolution also mentioned the unresolved killings of other doctors, namely Dr. Dreyfuss Perlas, a Doctor to the Barrio volunteer in Sapao, Lanao del Norte, in March 2017;  Dr. Shahid Sinolinding in Cotabato City in April 2017; Dr. George Repique, provincial health officer in Cavite in July 2017; and Dr. Zuriele Arambulo, a Doctor to the Barrio volunteer in Santiago, Agusan del Norte, in February 2019.

It also included the separate killings of lawyers Eric Jay Magcamit, Joey Luis Wee, Baby Maria Concepcion Landero-Ole, Manila chief inquest prosecutor Jovencio Senados, journalists Ronnie Villamor and Virgilio Maganes, activist Zara Alvarez, National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant Randall Echanis and NDFP former consultants Agaton Topacio and Eugenia Magpantay. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero, Edu Punay, Eva Visperas, Evelyn Macairan, Mayen Jaymalin