MANILA, Philippines — The murder of a mother and her son by a law enforcer proves that “many members” of the country’s police force are “simply out of control,” an official of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday.
“The grim news today of a police officer in Tarlac, in the northern Philippines, shooting to death a mother and her son over a dispute about the use of holiday noisemaker is just the latest incident to drive home this reality: many members of the Philippine police are simply out of control,” said HRW Deputy Asia Director, Phil Robertson in a statement.
Contrary to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año’s claim that the incident is an “isolated case,” HRW said that the killing is one of many incidents of police violence in the country.
READ: Año: Sin of cop in Tarlac shooting not the sin of entire PNP
“As with many incidents of recent police violence, the killing by Nuezca of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank was brazen and underscores the impunity that prevails in the Philippines,” Robertson noted.
“It took place in the context of an enabling environment for police violence that President Duterte himself has encouraged,” he said.
The cop in question, Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, was placed under the custody of the Paniqui, Tarlac police after he shot and killed his neighbors, Sonya and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio, in front of his own daughter on Sunday.
Philippine National Police revealed that Nuezca has multiple records of administrative cases. Zac Sarao, trainee