Cop in Paniqui killings sorry, begs for superiors’ help. Inquirer Newsletter. December 25, 2020

No images? Click here   In this socially distanced season of hope, let us zoom in on Emmanuel—God with us PHOTO BY GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE     News COVID test labs told to brace for surge COVID-19 testing laboratories have been told to be ready for a rise in test demand after the holidays due to an expected surge in new coronavirus infections. Currently, there are 192 licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories nationwide. They have conducted more than 6.2 million tests so far, according to the Department of Health. About a hundred more laboratories are applying for accreditation. —STORY BY DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   World Trump veto may lead to shutdown The US government could face a second shutdown under President Donald Trump after he vetoed the newly approved bill laying down defense policy just as officials are distributing two coronavirus vaccines nationwide. He explained that the bill had provisions unrelated to national security, but critics noted that Trump’s veto could be his retaliation against Republicans who acknowledged Joe Biden’s win in November. —STORY BY REUTERS Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net/World   Regions Families living near mine pit must leave CEBU CITY—The local government of Toledo City has ordered the evacuation of at least 400 families living near a mine pit where a landslide occurred on Monday. Mayor Marjorie Perales decided to transfer residents within a 500-meter radius of the mine site, after ground cracks in the area were observed to have widened. Four mine workers were killed in the landslide while six others remained missing. —STORY BY DALE G. ISRAEL AND ADOR VINCENT MAYOL Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net/regions   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Get here     Banner story Cop in Paniqui killings sorry, begs for superiors’ help By Patricia Denise M. Chiu, Maria Adelaida Calayag and Jerome Aning The policeman who shot dead a woman and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac province, on Sunday says he is sorry for what he has done and is begging for help from his superiors. In a video posted on Thursday on the Facebook page of the Central Luzon police, Police Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, the regional police chief, is seen giving Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca a dressing down for the backlash to the Philippine National Police of his shooting dead Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son, Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, during a confrontation over right of way in their neighborhood at Barangay Cabayaoasan in Paniqui on Sunday afternoon. “You dragged the [entire] PNP through the mud. In your many years of service I’m sure you’ve experienced our ups and downs. Weren’t you taught how to deal with that?” De Leon told Nuezca, referring to dealing with anger by officers. “You could have just pulled your breath and let go. Instead, you killed those people like dogs.” ‘I regret it so much’ “I admit my mistake. I was carried away by my strong emotions,” Nuezca replied. “I regret it so much.” De Leon told Nuezca, who has been indicted for double murder, that he was likely to be dismissed from the service. “Please, sir, I beg you for help, for my family,” Nuezca said. “Pray hard. We’re giving your family protection because everyone is mad at you, and you have no more friends. Pray for them, because we can’t control everyone,” De Leon said. The video was taken earlier on instructions from Police Gen. Debold Sinas, the PNP chief, during a visit to the wake of the Gregorios at the family home in Cabayaoasan. Sinas told De Leon to talk to Nuezca, 43, and record the officer’s confession for use as evidence by the prosecution. In a televised briefing on Thursday, Sinas said the two children who had taken videos of the killings had agreed to testify for the prosecution. He said the two minors—a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old—had submitted sworn statements and would be given government protection. Their guardians have also agreed to allow them to testify, Sinas said. “We have provided them with security and they will be enrolled in the [Witness Protection Program],” he added. No delays in case Sinas said he had spoken to the Gregorios’ family and apologized for Nuezca’s actions. He said he promised the family that there would be no delays in the case. The PNP chief said he had talked to local officials in Paniqui and requested professional help for the two minors and several other children who had witnessed the killings. He said even the daughter of Nuezca, who was on the scene when the killings happened, would also get professional attention. De Leon, he said, has seen the girl and learned from the family that she has been suffering from sleeplessness since Sunday. Police Lt. Col. Noriel Rambaoa, the Tarlac provincial police chief, said on Thursday that nine children had witnessed the killings and begun undergoing counseling by social workers. Rambaoa said the children could be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. “Some of them are having nightmares and are frightened by any loud noise,” he said, indicating the children are suffering from the psychological effects of gunfire. “They have also started to lose appetite,” Rambaoa said, quoting the children’s families. He said Nuezca’s daughter started receiving counseling on Tuesday. Policemen have been deployed to secure the children, he said. “The children are heavily guarded, although there are no threats to their lives,” Rambaoa said.   Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Still, Merry Christmas! The more cynical are probably asking, what’s there to celebrate anyway? The season comes at the tail end of a year extraordinary for its overflow of calamities and disasters, starting with Taal Volcano’s eruption in January and the COVID-19 lockdown in March that has since stalled the economy, with small businesses closing and millions of Filipinos losing their jobs. The year ended with a string of typhoons—"Quinta," "Rolly," "Ulysses," and "Vicky"—that have submerged cities and provinces in murky waters and devastating homes and crops. On the individual level, this may yet be one of the bleakest Christmases we’ve had so far, with the loss of the creature comforts people have come to associate with the festive season, and the palpable fraying of the two pillars that have traditionally upheld the holiday spirit: peace on earth and goodwill to all. At best, Christmas as we know it has been postponed. And maybe, just maybe, all for the best. It has been stripped down to its barest essential: a quiet, prayerful celebration at home with family who has been with us in this roller-coaster ride, and the sharing of food and gifts probably bought online as a show of solidarity with those struggling to make ends meet. But a bare manger didn’t stop a celebration heralded by angels and kings. May we find the same joy in the cramped, stripped-down holidays we've been dealt with this year. Merry Christmas! Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net       Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe