Duterte won’t protect cop who killed mother, son in Tarlac, says Palace

December 21, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte would not protect a policeman who killed a mother and her son in an altercation in Paniqui, Tarlac, Malacanang said on Monday.

In a televised press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque condemned the murder of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio by Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca in Barangay Cabayaosan on Sunday.

"I want to make it clear, this is not a service-related double murder...so that policeman cannot invoke any defense related to his job and this will be treated as ordinary murder cases," he said.

Roque said the cases will be investigated and the suspect will be charged and punished.

"No ifs, no buts. There will be justice because we have seen the evidence on what had happened," he said.

"The President will not protect him, we're condemning it," the spokesman stressed.

He also said that the incident involving a policeman was an isolated case.

"In all other institutions in our country and in the world, there are few rotten eggs in our society," he said when asked on observation that policemen in the country had been emboldened to resort to reckless and unnecessary use of force because of Duterte's support for them.

He also said the President is not tolerating wrong doings among policemen. Celerina Monte/DMS