The screenshot showed Mrs. Sonya Gregorio with her arms wrapped tightly around her son Frank Anthony Gregorio as they were being confronted by then Sergeant Jonel Nuezca.
MANILA, Philippines — “Justice is finally served” following the conviction of Jonel Nuezca for killing mother and son Sonya and Frank Anthony Gregorio, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Guillermo Eleazar said on Thursday.
Mugshot of dismissed Jonel Nuezca, the police officer who shot dead his two neighbors, a mother and her son, in Paniqui, Tarlac. (Courtesy of Paniqui Municipal Police Station)
“Naipakita dito na umiiral ang hustisya sa ating bansa at kailanman ay hindi kinukunsinti ng inyong Philippine National Police ang mga ganitong uri ng pulis,” Eleazar said in a statement.
(It shows we have a justice system in our country, and the Philippine National Police has never tolerated police misconduct like this.)
Eleazar added that they sympathize with the bereaved family members, saying that a conviction cannot make up for the loss they have suffered.
FILE – The remains of 52-year-old Sonia Gregorio and Frank Anthony, 25, the mother and son shot and killed by Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca is finally laid to rest at the Garden of Angels in Barangay Salomague in Paniqui town, Tarlac province on Sunday. The Gregorios were killed outside their home last December 20 after a heated argument with Nuezca who was also their neighbor. Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer
“Nauunawaan namin ang pakiramdam ng pamilya Gregorio na ang parusang iginawad ng hukuman sa kanya ay hindi sapat sa bayolenteng pagkawala ng buhay ng kanilang dalawang kaanak,” Eleazar said.
(We understand the emotion of the Gregorio family that the punishment will not remedy the violence that led to the deaths of two family members.)
How it happened
The shooting has been captured on video that has gone viral on social media. A long-standing feud between the neighbors over properties and right-of-ways caused the incident.
RELATED VIDEO: WATCH: Sister of slain woman in Tarlac regrets selling land to Nuezca
Hours after the crime, Nuezca surrendered to policemen in Rosales, Pangasinan province, confessing to the killing.
On Dec. 24, Nuezca told Police Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, the regional police chief, that he was “sorry” for his crime. “I admit my mistake. I was carried away by my strong emotions. I regret it so much,” he told De Leon in a closed-door meeting.
The confession was recorded on video on instructions from then Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas.
Hensie Zinampan case
Eleazar, meanwhile, said that one of his men, Hensie Zinampan, is currently on trial for the killing of a 52-year-old Lilybeth Valdez in Quezon City.
He likewise noted that Zinampan has already been dismissed from the PNP and that the PNP is confident that Valdez and her family will also receive justice.
“Both the cases of Nuezca and Zinampan will serve as a lesson that will constantly remind us that as police officers, we are the protectors of the Filipino people, and not their tormentors,” Eleazar expressed.
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