LEADERS of the Catholic Church have condemned the killing of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony at the hands of an off-duty policeman in Paniqui, Tarlac.
Tarlac Bishop Enrique Macaraeg on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, said it will never be acceptable to God and to the public for one person to kill his neighbor.
"Murder is wrong any way we look at it. Killing is a sin against God and against humanity. Murder is not only a sin against the killed and their families. It is both a sin and a crime that cries out to heaven," Macaraeg said in a statement.
"Similar killings have been happening around us. Some of them happened without a video to record them. Whether posted on social media or done hidden without a witness, killing is a sin. God sees all these killings. There is no escape from God’s punishment. Killing is wrong. Murder is evil," he added.
With God knowing what happened, the prelate assured that justice will come to those who should be held accountable.
"Our faith assures us that this cry will reach the ears of God. There is no escaping from the justice of God, even if sometimes justice on earth is hard to find," he said.
In the meantime, the bishop said he is designating the social arm of the Diocese of Tarlac to provide aid to the family of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio.
"I am putting Caritas Tarlac at the service of the family of the victims to provide any possible assistance," Macaraeg said.
In a separate statement, CBCP - Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice, and Peace chairman Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said it was heartbreaking that such tragedy happened with Christmas just around the corner.
"This bloodshed in broad daylight, witnessed by family members, should not have happened in the first place had we let peaceful reconciliation, not hot-tempered emotion, prevail," Bagaforo said.
"Hence, our strong condemnation of such abhorrent act, which should have no place in our society," he added.
He called for the quick resolution of the case so justice would be rightfully served.
He also offered prayers for the Gregorio family.
"We mourn with the family of the victims of the shooting incident in Tarlac. We pray that in this very difficult times, may they find peace, solace, and strength from one another, and their community," Bagaforo said.
Earlier, Military Ordinariate Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio also lamented the shooting incident that killed the mother and son.
He called for a fair and objective investigation of the incident.
The Gregorio mother and son were shot dead by Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca during an altercation in the afternoon of December 20 in Purok 2, Barangay Cabayaoasan, Paniqui, Tarlac.
Police said the conflict stemmed from the younger Gregorio’s use of a prohibited firecracker, which aggravated a previous land dispute between the two families.
Nuezca shot Sonya, who was hugging her son, after she sang a line from a Korean pop song to declare that she didn’t care about Nuezca being a policeman.
Sonya, 52, was responding to Nuezca’s daughter, who had yelled that her father is a policeman.
After shooting Sonya in the head, Nuezca also shot Frank Anthony in the head. He fired two more shots at them after they fell.
Nuezca has been charged with two counts of murder without bail. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)