Abante renews push for death penalty after killer cop shoots mother-son

MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Speaker Bienvenido Abante made a push once again to reimpose the death penalty in the country after a police officer shot to death a mother and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac.

In condemning the crime committed by Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, Abante said the shooting was “unjustifiable,” especially as the victims—Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony—were no danger to the policeman.

“As a police officer, his duty is clear: to uphold the law and protect our citizens. Instead, he brazenly broke our laws and killed those he swore to serve, in full view of his own daughter and civilians,” Abante said in a statement.

According to Abante, Nuezca “should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and held accountable for his crimes.”

“By committing these acts in broad daylight and in front of so many witnesses, it is obvious that Nuezca believes his police badge places him above the law,” Abante said.

“Such impunity cannot be tolerated, and I believe that the ultimate punishment––the death penalty––should be revived to punish heinous crimes like these, to deter uniformed personnel from abusing their power,” he added.

Murder is among the crimes that would be penalized with the death penalty under House Bill Number 1588, a bill filed by Abante, who in an earlier interview said that he supported capital punishment “in defense of human life, honor and dignity, preservation of peace and order in society, and respect for law and authority.”

Among the other crimes that would be punished by death under the proposed measure are treason, qualified piracy, rebellion or insurrection, coup d’etat, parricide, murder, rape, plunder, and drug-related cases.[ac]