Cold-blooded. Unforgivable. Heinous.
This was how House Deputy Speaker Benny Abante Jr. on Monday categorized the murders of 52 year-old Sonya Gregorio and her 25 year-old son Frank Anthony Gregorio, who were gunned down by Philippine National Police (PNP) Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca in Paniqui, Tarlac on Sunday afternoon.
Whatever the root of their argument, the shooting is unjustifiable and indefensible; the Gregorios were clearly unarmed and were no danger to Sgt. Nuezca.
The lawmaker condemned the shootings and said that video footage of the incident clearly showed that the Gregorios posed no threat to Nuezca, who was armed when he confronted the victims.
“Whatever the root of their argument, the shooting is unjustifiable and indefensible; the Gregorios were clearly unarmed and were no danger to Sgt. Nuezca,” stressed Abante.
“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.”
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,” lamented the solon.
“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.”
“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.”
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.