Executive summary

In shooting event that happened in Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines on December 20, 2020 on

Sunday afternoon, a police officer named Jonel Nuezca shot and killed two of his neighbors,

Soinia and Frank Gregorio, following a heated disagreement about a homemade noisemaker

(boga). Relatives of the victims and the juvenile daughter of the offender were at the crime scene

and saw what happened. After the incident was captured on camera and went viral on social

media, it sparked widespread indignation and rekindled the debate about the recent instances of

police violence and violations of human rights.

Introduction

Jonel Nuezca was investigating the Gregorio’s when he noticed that they were putting up a boga,

an improvised noisemaker cannon made out of bamboo, a PVC pipe, or a linkage of opened tin

cans. When Nuezca attempted to arrest Frank Anthony “Anton” Gregorio, who looked to be

intoxicated, his mother Sonia, 55 years old, intervened by holding her son back. This sparked a

heated argument that continued until Nuezca shot the two victims twice. The Tarlac Provincial

Police Office’s director, Police Colonel Renante Cabico, claims that Nuezca was off duty when

the incident happened.

The incident was caught on camera, showing Nuezca (dressed in civilian clothes) and his

daughter running to the Gregorio family’s home. It then shows Sonia stop her 25 years old son

Frank while Nuezca was carrying the boga he had confiscated. The mom was attempting to stop

her son from getting into a fight with civilian police officer Nuezca. There are people crying,

begging, and yelling in the background. The police once instructed the public to wait for the

barangay officials and not to intervene. Elisha Nuezca’s a 12 years old daughter of Jonel Neuzca,

who was also present, interrupted by shouting, “My father is a policeman!” at Sonia, to which

the latter responded, “I don’t care!”. After the song gained popularity on social media due to

responses. The artist of 2NE1’S K-pop song of the same name tweeted their sympathy for the

victims. Nuezca shot Sonia again and Frank twice while she was already on the ground, in front

of her family and Nuezcas’s daughter, threatening to kill the woman before shooting her in the

head. Then, in front of Nuezca’s daughter and the victims’ family, he shot Frank again and Sonia

once more when she was already on the ground. The suspect left the site right after, according to

the Paniqui Municipal Police, and headed to his parent’s home in Urdaneta, Pangasinan. Nuezca,
who was also assigned to the Paranaque City Crime Laboratory, had recently returned to Paniqui,

Tarlac.According to the Paniqui Municipal Police the suspect immediately left the scene and

went to his parents’ house in Urdaneta, Pangasinan. Nuezca, who was also working for the

Paranaque City Crime Laboratory, had just returned to Paniqui, Tarlac.

The incident was reported to the police 20 minutes later at 6:19 p.m., Nuezca surrendered

himself to a police station in Rosales, Pangasinan and turned in his firearms. A day later, the

chief of the Paniqui Municipal Police Station, Lt. Col. Noriel Rambaoa, stated that Nuezca had

admitted his crime. Nuezca was charged with double murder. The Philippine National Police

quaranteed that there would be no “whitewashing” in the investigation. The PNP stated that they

will finish the incident in 30 days. They further stated that Nuezca would forfeit his earnings and

be excluded from his duties in the event of a guilty verdict. The victims’ relatives claim that

there was a prior disagreement between the family and the police officer regarding the right of

way that the officer had given to the victims’ family before the shooting.

Findings and Conclusion

Regional personnel from the Commission on Human Rights visited the wake, which was held for

the two victims one day after the incident. Additionally, present was former senator Jinggoy

Estrada. The twelve (12) Gregorio family members who witnessed the murder of their mother

and son received counseling. Nuezca apologized for his crimes while he was in custody, but the

family rejected the apology. In December 27,2020, saw the mother and son’s burial. The PNP

relieved Nuezca of his duties the following day after he entered a not guilty plea to his

accusations on January 10, 2021. In the Paniqui Regional Trial Court, Nuezca was found guilty

on August 26,2021. For all counts of murder, he was guven a reclusion perpetua sentenced and

had to pay the victims’ families ₱952,560 in fines. At the age of 47, Nuezca passed away on

November 30, 2021, while being held captive at the New Bilibil Prison in Muntinlupa, Metro

Manila, after collapsing while out on his dormitory building. The Bureau of Corrections

confirmed his death the next day, with a heart attack being determined to be the cause. Following

his conviction by the Paniqui Regional Trial Court, Neuzca was interred in Urdaneta City

Memorial Park on December 5, 2021.

Reference

www.cnnphilippines.com
 Table of Contents

Executive Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1

Introduction ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Findings and Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

Reference ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2