Velasco: Police who shot mother, son in Tarlac must not go unpunished

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Lord Allan Velasco condemned Monday the police shooting of a mother and her son in Tarlac, saying that the culprit should “not go unpunished.”

Velasco said the public outrage after Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca shot Sonya Gregorio and her son, Anton, was “totally understandable.”

“It is our fervent hope that the circumstances surrounding their deaths are investigated thoroughly and that justice is ultimately served,” Velasco said in a statement.

“The culprit, Police Officer Jonel Nuezca, must not go unpunished and that his effective prosecution must be ensured,” he added.

Velasco added that the shooting incident also highlights the need for the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership to remind its ranks on the “proper and responsible use of their weapons and that they should, as much as possible, apply non-violent means at all times.”

“Police officers must be reminded that force and firearms may only be used if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result,” Velasco said.

Initial investigation showed that the suspect arrived at the house of victims Sonya Gregorio, 52, and Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25. After a brief and heated confrontation, he shot them point-blank using a 9 mm pistol at around 5:10 p.m. Sunday.

Police said the suspect fled the crime scene onboard a motorcycle after the incident. However, a CCTV video of the incident made the rounds of social media and has now become viral, showing the suspect’s face.

According to Lt. Col. Noriel Rombaoa, chief of Paniqui MPS, the shooting incident happened after a confrontation between the suspect and the victims over the firing of a “boga,” a noisemaker usually made of PVC pipe or bamboo for revelries.

“Bago ‘yung pamamaril, nag-ugat ito sa pagpapaputok ng boga malapit po sa place ng bahay ng mga biktima kasi itong suspect po at mga biktima ay magkapit-bahay lamang. So itong suspect natin ay pumunta doon sa bahay ng biktima para sitahin ‘yung nagpapaputok then nadatnan niya doon ‘yung isang biktima at nagkasagutan sila, ‘yung lalaki,” he said over ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo on Monday.

(Before the shooting, someone fired a boga near the place of the victims’ house. The suspect and victims are neighbors. So the suspect went to the victims’ house, then he saw one of them, the male one, and  a confrontation ensued.) [ac]