MANILA – It was a long-standing dispute over a right-of-way that ended bloody on Sunday afternoon in Tarlac’s Paniqui town as Police Senior Master Sgt. Jonel Nuezca shot to death his unarmed neighbors Sonya and Frank Anthony Gregorio.
Paniqui Municipal Police chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Noriel Rombaoa said Nuezca and the Gregorios have already brought their dispute before to barangay officers, but the policeman refused to honor the proposed settlement.
“Napag-usapan na ‘yan pero hindi natapos ‘yung usapin diyan. Although may linaw na raw na dapat napagkasunduan is bibigyan, na makakadaan ang sasakyan,” Rombaoa said in an interview over DZBB.
“Hindi naman nasunod kasi nga noong nagbago ang suspek natin, medyo maliit ‘yung naiwan. Hindi kasya ang sasakyan. So ‘yun po ang pinagtatalunan nila,” he added.
According to Rombaoa, Nuezca and his daughter went to the house of victims after hearing an explosion caused by a “boga,” an improvised cannon used as noisemaker during the holiday season. The heated argument eventually brought up their enduring conflict.
“Gusto niyang pumunta doon (victims’ house) para komprontahin sila. ‘Yun nga naungkat na ‘yung usapin dyan sa right-of-way na ‘yan hanggang humantong sa insidenteng ‘yun,” Rombaoa said.
No stranger to admin cases
Nuezca, meanwhile, was no stranger to administrative cases as he was charged before, with some being dismissed, according to Police Brigadier General Valeriano De Leon.
De Leon told GMA News Online that Nuezca had faced grave misconduct (homicide) cases in May and December 2019. Both were dismissed due to lack of substantial evidence.
In 2016, Nuezca was also slapped with serious neglect of duty after failing to attend a court hearing as prosecution witness of a drug-related case. The case was dropped and closed.
Less grave neglect of duty was filed against Nueza in April 2014 for refusing to take a drug test. Records had shown that he had left the testing area without permission from authorities. Due to his refusal, he was penalized with a 31-day suspension.
Nuezca, who is assigned at Parañaque City, also faced an administrative case (grave misconduct) in 2013 but it was also dropped and closed.
Aside from a double murder case, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said an administrative case would also be filed against Nuezca for his dismissal from police service.
The video of the incident surfaced Sunday night showing Nuezca shooting the 52-year-old mother and her 25-year-old son in Purok 2, Brgy. Cabayaoasan.
The fatal shooting sparked public outrage as the hashtags #JusticeForSonyaGregorio, #StopTheKillingsPH, #PulisAngTerrorista, and #EndPoliceBrutality trended on Twitter Philippines on Monday./PN
