CHR condemns cop's 'brazen,' 'senseless' shooting of a mother and son in Tarlac
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has condemned the killing by a police of a mother and son in Tarlac as a “brazen” and “senseless killing” that “deserves our strongest condemnation.”
“Each and every police is expected to protect our rights. As such, it is unacceptable when they are the ones being at the forefront of perpetuating such human rights violations,” the CHR said in a statement.
Police Senior Master Sgt. Jonel Nuezca gunned down Sonya Gregorio, 46 years old, and, her son Frank Gregorio, 25 years old. Videos of the incident have since circulated online, sparking outrage from netizens and various personalities. Nuezca reportedly gunned down the civilians, who were his neighbors, after confronting them over the noise from their use of a firecracker known as boga.
“This incident reechoes our call to the government urging for the conduct of widespread investigations on every allegation of arbitrary killing,” CHR said.
“The government cannot claim adherence to human rights principles and allow impunity to worsen by not making sure perpetrators are held to account. We are interested in knowing the truth behind these deaths because there is a demand for justice.”
Promises made by the government to uplift the human rights condition in the country must translate into the improvements of the situation on the ground. We have seen deaths after deaths. How much more until the killings stop?#StopTheKillings pic.twitter.com/VnMc6QAUHi
— CHR Philippines (@chrgovph) December 21, 2020
The CHR also appealed to the public to spare Nuezca’s daughter, who can be seen in the video seemingly filming the incident on a cellphone.
“Vilifying the minor publicly, even posting the child’s name and photos, may inflict irreparable trauma that might worsen this situation. Let proper interventions deal with the child’s situation separately,” the CHR said.