The brazen killing of a mother and her son at close range by an off-duty officer has caused outrage in the Philippines and reignited calls for reform of the country’s police force.
The incident, which was recorded by a witness on film, has intensified criticism of the president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has been accused by rights groups of allowing police and the military to act with impunity.
Graphic footage shared on social media shows a plainclothes policeman arguing with his neighbour and her adult son before abruptly shooting them both from close range. The officer, Jonel Nuezca, who handed himself in to police on Sunday, has been charged with two counts of murder.
Nuezca had reportedly argued with his neighbours over their use of a boga, a firecracker popular during the Christmas and new year celebrations, before attempting to arrest the son, 25-year-old Frank Gregario. Footage showed Frank’s mother, Sonya, clinging on to her son to prevent him from being taken away, before the officer shoots them both twice.
Jacqueline Ann de Guia, a spokeswoman for the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, described the killings as brazen and senseless. She said: “We have seen deaths after deaths. How much more until the killings stop?”
On social media, the hashtag #stopthekillingsPH was shared widely, along with calls for justice.
Responding to the incident, which occurred in Tarlac, a city north of Manila, Duterte said police must act in accordance with the law, and described the incident as “too brutal”.
Rights groups, however, point out that Duterte has repeatedly encouraged officers to kill suspects, and even promised to protect them from prosecution. He once warned activists not to file cases against police and army officers for extrajudicial killings, stating, “they will never go to prison – not under my watch”.
Duterte, who rejects all accusations of wrongdoing, maintains popular support. Yet he also faces continued international scrutiny over his controversial war on drugs, which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, according to some estimates. Last week, the international criminal court said there was “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity has been committed during the crackdown.
A UN report on the drugs war, released in June, said there had been “near impunity” for extrajudicial killings. It added there was a risk rhetoric by the highest officials had emboldened police to behave as though they have “permission to kill”.
Nuezca has not yet commented on the accusations. However, Noriel Rombaoa, a police chief in Tarlac, told the local broadcaster DZMM the officer had admitted to the killings.
Harry Roque, a presidential spokesman, said Duterte would not protect him, adding that the shooting occurred while the officer was off duty.
