“Impunity breeds trigger-happy cops,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said.
“So long as the culture of impunity exists in the country, and when there is a system that rewards misdeeds instead of punishing them, police abuses and violence will continue,” he said in a statement.
Drilon said the actions of Police Senior Master Sgt. Jonel Nuezca, who turned himself in to authorities after shooting 52-year-old Sonya Gregorio and her 25-year-old son Frank Anthony Gregorio, who were both unarmed, at point-blank range, were “unspeakable.”
Videos of the incident and its aftermath have since been shared by hundreds of thousands on Facebook and Twitter.
“He should spend Christmas and a lifetime in jail. That devil who committed an evil act in front of his own daughter deserves to rot in jail,” Drilon said.
“Where is our society headed?” opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked in a post on Twitter.
Opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan said: “The incident is an outrage. That is the result of condoning and refusing to punish abusive and corrupt police.”
“We expect this administration to condemn the incident and to ensure the perpetrator will be prosecuted instead of condoning or promoting these corrupt and abusive cops,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte will not protect Nuezca, said his spokesperson, Harry Roque.
“We condemn the incident in Tarlac. I want to make it clear, this is not a service-related double murder. If we’re not mistaken, this is a dispute over right of way. That policeman cannot invoke the defense that the killing was duty-related,” Roque said in a news briefing.
The killings will be treated like an ordinary murder case and will be investigated, and the perpetrator will be charged, he said.
“No ifs, no buts. There will be justice because we saw the evidence. The President will not protect him. We condemn this,” Roque added.
Pro-administration Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, said Nuezca should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“If what’s on video tells the whole story, I enjoin the PNP leadership to show no mercy,” he said.
“They should spare no effort to make sure that he rots in jail. He’s the last policeman that they need [on] the force,” Lacson said.
He recommended that police officers should turn in their service firearms to their unit’s armorer or supply officer when off-duty, and should not be issued permits to carry.
“The PNP should always uphold its motto, ‘To Serve and Protect.’ That includes taking appropriate steps to protect our people from scalawags in their ranks, whether they are on duty or not,” Lacson said.
Pro-administration Sen. Nancy Binay urged all law enforcement agencies to hold a “top-to-bottom value reorientation” to end the culture of impunity that is breeding police abuses.
Binay emphasized the need to introduce structural and internal reforms, particularly in implementing stricter accountability for erring police officers.
“Police behavior and practices should be directed to the desire of helping the people and the community,” Binay said.
She also said there should be a “more rigid psychological evaluation” alongside physical fitness tests of officers to ensure higher standards are enforced and rogue officers are rooted out.
“Something is deeply wrong when you have both top cops and rank-and-file who flout the law,” Binay said.
