Mother and Son, Father and Daughter (Tragic Death of Sonya and Anton)
By: Emmanuel P.
Tags: Philippines, Justice, Police Brutality, Crime

A sketch by Redic John Cruz depicting the final moments Sonia and Frank Gregorio before being shot. Photo from Redic John Cruz’s Facebook page.

“My father is a policeman.” These are the last words a little girl said to an elderly woman before she witnesses her father, a policeman, shot the old lady and her son point-blank over an argument.

The Philippines is mourning the death of mother and son Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, who were both victims of brutality by the hands and gun of Police Corporal Jonel Nuezca. The tragedy took place on Sunday evening at the municipality of Paniqui in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. Nuezca went over to the Gregorios to confront them for their use of boga, an improvised canon usually made of bamboo or PVC that shoots a loud noise and is common among Filipinos during the holidays, especially during the New Year.

The confrontation led to Nuezca wanting to arrest Frank, which then resulted in the latter’s mother, Sonya, intervening. The argument concluded with Nuezca shooting the mother and son directly at their heads, twice each of them, in front of his daughter who was involved in the argument. Sonya was killed while embracing her son. The last words Sonya and Frank heard were “Putang ina mo, tapusin kita ngayon?” (Son of a a bitch, you want me to finish you now?)

It was a question, but Sonya and Frank didn’t get to respond because Nuezca did it for them, with 4 bullets. Nuezca surrendered and will face murder charges.

“Nagdilim ang paningin”

“Nagdilim ang paningin” (my vision darkened) is a common expression here in the Philippines that describes an individual who lost control due to anger or shock and proceeded to do something violent or extreme. According to news reports, Nuezca justified what he did with this expression. Stop it. Just stop. Anger, no matter to the level of extreme is never a reason to take a life, innocent lives for that matter.

It was later revealed that this was not the first time Nuezca was involved in fatal shooting incidents. In his last 10 years in the force, Neuzca faced 6 cases including serious neglect of duty and grave misconduct. In 2019, he faced 2 homicide cases but were both dismissed due to lack of or minimal substantial evidence.

People are now demanding accountability from the higher-ups in the police department, mainly from the IAS or Internal Affairs Service of Philippine National Police, on how can someone with such a tainted record continue to serve and protect people.

One of the most notable and charitable journalists in the Philippines Raffy Tulfo made a great suggestion. In his radio show “Wanted sa Radyo,” Tulfo recommended that there be a law that requires all police officers to undergo mandatory regular checking to make sure they are performing their duties with integrity and principles. He suggested police officers take regular drug testings and neuropsychological evaluations.

The Aftermath

#StopTheKillingsPh is now trending with people calling for justice for Sonya and Frank. This is not the first time innocent lives were taken by the hands of evil policemen here in the Philippines. There have been many cases of police killings, brutality and abuse stemming from many reasons that usually ended up with innocent lives lost. I agree that not all policemen and policewomen are bad. There are truly police officers out there dedicated to protecting the lives of the innocent and are willing to give their lives for what is right. Nuezca is not one of them.

Nuezca isn’t the only one receiving extreme backlash left and right. His daughter, a minor was seen in the video berating Sonya and Frank as well. Many people believe the little girl’s involvement was the crucial tipping point that led to her father pulling the trigger. The girl is now the target of many attacks from thousands, millions, of people for what she did.

In a not surprising turnout, Florentino, husband and father of the victims asked the public to stop bashing the girl and to also consider what Nuezca’s family are going through. In an interview with ANC, the bereaved father said, “Masakit din sa kanila yun, kahit na ganon. Kasi bata yun eh, kulang ng pag-aaruga” (It is also hard for them (Nuezca’s family), even so. She was a kid, she lacked care). Nevertheless, Florentino is hoping for justice be served for the horrific death of his wife and son.

The entire country is now watching everything unfolds and everyone wants to see Nuezca behind bars for the rest of his life.

Sonya and Frank

Sonya and Frank Gregorio

Sonya and Frank were loved by their family and friends. In interviews with the media, loved ones described how kind and caring the two were. Kids near their residence call Sonya “Mama Son” and Frank’s friend usually refer to him as “Anton” because of his second name “Anthony.”

Frank was looking forward to Christmas to be with her 1-year old daughter living in the province of Pangasinan.

Until her last breath, Sonya protected her son against evil. Both of them didn’t deserve that but the world and some people are unfair. Nuezca will rot in jail and won’t spend another normal Christmas with his family. The Gregorio family will continue to struggle and grief over the deaths of their loved ones, but they will be together. Sonya was there for the first breath of her child, and the last.