“Isolated incident?”

Media question official claims on Nuezca double murder

THE COLD-BLOODED double-murder of a woman and her son by an off-duty policeman in Tarlac rocked the nation just a few days before Christmas.

Footage of Police SMSgt. Jonel Nuezca shooting Sonya and Frank Gregorio point-blank in the presence of his own daughter went viral on December 21. The video showed both victims as innocent, unarmed and in the safety of their own home when they were killed. The outrage triggered public anger, highlighting rising concerns about extrajudicial killings and the increasing instances of violence by security forces against citizens.   

Through the week, netizens’ criticism of PNP peaked with many describing the incident as “police brutality.” Public officials were quick to condemn the murders, but DOJ, PNP and the Palace were one in describing the killings as an “isolated incident,” absolving their agencies of any accountability.

Media gave the story the prominence it warranted. The issue, which was inherently sensational, took over front page and prime time news. To their credit, journalists provided more than just the recording the exchange of official statements and public reactions.

Media called attention to the background of the police officer, revealing the fact, sourced from PNP records, that Nuezca had been involved in two homicide cases but had been retained in the active service.

Some reports also raised the effect that President Rodrigo Duterte’s statements may have on police conduct, referring to the instances when the president  bluntly told law enforcers to kill to achieve their purpose, and pointing to the record-breaking number of deaths under investigation in the conduct of the government’s “war” against drugs.

CMFR monitored reports from the three major Manila broadsheets (Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star); four primetime newscasts (ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol, CNN Philippines’ News Night, GMA-7’s 24 Oras and TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas); as well as selected news websites from December 21 to December 28, 2020.

Dismissed cases

Media correctly flagged Nuezca’s record in their reports. The background information provided the necessary context to the killing, and countered the credibility of the claims made by officials that this was an “isolated incident.”  It also placed in perspective the narrative set by government propaganda that citizens should always respect police officers—a crude attempt to blame the victims for arguing with a cop.

That the PNP let Nuezca off several times was factual background which the public should know about. Reports showed that he was no stranger to administrative cases. Citing records provided by Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, regional director of the Police Regional Office 3, media reported that Nuezca had faced two homicide cases in 2019 because of drug-related killings. Both cases were dismissed due to lack of substantial evidence. Media also said that records showed four more cases against him including serious neglect of duty and grave misconduct, one of which dates back to 2013.

Duterte’s encouragement

The president, who has openly professed his high regard for law enforcers, also condemned the killing, calling Nuezca “crazy.” Duterte was heard on his live weekly Monday briefing angrily ordering that the person be kept in detention.

Some reports spotlighted the connection raised by critics between the strongman president’s “shoot-to-kill” pronouncements and his frequent praise of the police, saying these had emboldened officers to kill with impunity.

An editorial from the Inquirer quoted the President who, on December 3, said: “I’m telling … the uniformed personnel, do your duty. Do it in accordance with law, pero be alert and be wise. Alam mo, kaunting pagkakamali lang, barilin mo na. (You know, shoot them even for the slightest mistake.)”

Notably, Philstar.com and Rappler recalled the killing of Winston Ragos who was gunned down by Quezon City police for violating quarantine rules in April. Earlier that month, Duterte had urged law enforcers to shoot violators of his lockdown.

In addition, Interaksyon cited the “World Population Review” which said that in 2020, the Philippines was third among the countries with the highest cases of police killings. It provided the necessary international dimension which should help Filipinos evaluate the state of their law enforcement agencies.

PNP records attest to the “tokhang” killings and the rise of vigilantism in connection with Duterte’s war on drugs. The country has also seen more reports of summary execution of lawyers, human rights activists and defenders, not counting the killing of 19 journalists during President Duterte’s term.

CMFR cheers this dramatic shift in media’s decision to alert the public to what is really going on. More journalists should commit to the task of providing the public with facts, rather than just quoting the words that officials are so quick to utter in response to human rights violations committed by government officers. The media should be just as quick to counter the attempts to deflect people’s attention from institutional failures, such as those demonstrated in the Nuezca crime. Clearly, these statements must be shown up as an evasion of the agency’s accountability when the police turn against the citizens they are sworn to protect.