Palace: Duterte won’t protect cop who killed unarmed neighbors in Tarlac

Malacañang on Monday vowed to seek justice for two unarmed civilians who were shot to death by a policeman in Paniqui, Tarlac, saying President Rodrigo Duterte does not tolerate such behavior of a uniformed service member.

Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque said Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca must be punished for his actions.

“Bakit ho poprotektahan ni Presidente ‘yan, hindi naman po ‘yan service-related. Iyan po ay pribadong bagay. Nagkataon lang pulis siya pero kinakailangan siyang managot,” Roque said at a news conference.

“Ito po ay tatratuhin na ordinaryong murder cases at iimbestigahan, kakasuhan, lilitisin at paparusahan po natin ang pulis na ‘yan, no ifs, no buts.”

Nuezca shot Sonya Rufino Gregorio and her son, Frank Anthony, on Sunday. The incident was caught on video.

The policeman had gone to the house of the victims after hearing an explosion caused by a "boga," an improvised cannon made of PVC pipes usually used during New Year celebrations.

Police said Nuezca and the victims had a previous altercation regarding right of way and the issue resurfaced during the confrontation. The officer shot the victims twice each in the head.

He surrendered to police in Rosales, Pangasinan hours after.

According to the Central Luzon police, Nuezca had faced criminal and administrative cases in the previous year but most have been dismissed due to lack of substantial evidence.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, meanwhile, described the incident as plain cold murder and an isolated case.

PNP chief Debold Sinas said he was angry and saddened by the fatal shooting incident.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said the incident showed “many members of the Philippine police are simply out of control.”

“Countless times, Duterte has excused police misconduct and promised to let them off the hook. Sunday’s killings in Tarlac province are an inevitable result of the Philippine government’s failure to hold erring law enforcers to account,” Robertson said.

Roque reiterated Duterte’s reminder to authorities that they can only use deadly force if their lives are in danger while in the performance of their duties.

“By and large, talaga naman pong kahanga-hanga po ang ating kapulisan, ang kanilang kapital po sa kanilang hanapbuhay ay kanilang mga buhay,” he said.

In the wake of the controversial death of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos who was killed by cops in 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte said he never promised to protect law enforcement officers involved in abuses.

“Isang bugok lang po 'yang pulis na 'yan. Hindi po lahat ng pulis ay gaya niya. Siyempre po ang baril ay para po sa proteksyon ng ating mga kapulisan, hindi po 'yan para gamitin laban sa kanilang mga personal na mga kaaway.”—AOL, GMA News