The grieving family man of the victims of the recent shooting in Paniqui, Tarlac on Tuesday appealed to the public to stop bashing the suspect’s young daughter.
Florentino Gregorio attended the wake of his 52-year-old wife Sonya and 25-year-old son Frank, who were killed by Police Senior Master Sgt. Jonel Nuezca after an altercation on Sunday afternoon.
Grieving Father in Tarlac Shootout Asks the Public to Stop Bashing Cop’s Daughter on Social Media
In an interview with News 5, Mr. Gregorio who came from Pangasinan said, “Kulang ng pag-aaruga ng magulang kaya ganyan ang turing (ng anak) [the child lacked love and care from her parents that’s why she became like that].”
WATCH: Nakiusap sa publiko si Tatay Florentino Gregorio, ama ni Anton at asawa ni Sonia, na huwag idamay ang menor de edad na anak ni Police Senior Master Sargeant Jonel Nuezca sa pambabatikos sa ginawa ng pulis sa kanyang mag-ina | @News5PH @onenewsph pic.twitter.com/kUDJG1XaIW
— Justinne Punsalang ? (@thisjustinne) December 22, 2020
As seen on the viral video of the incident, Nuezca’s 13-year-old daughter yelled “My father is a policeman” during the heated argument and was taking a video of the entire thing on her cellphone when his father shot the victims at point-blank twice each.
Many people on social media immediately criticized the daughter for her actions. But Gregorio explained that she shouldn’t and doesn’t deserve to be blamed. Instead, it is her parents need to be called out.
“Kasi ‘pag maganda ang pagpapalaki diyan sa batang ‘yan, ‘di ganun mangyayari sa batang ‘yun. Sigurado may takot din siya sa pagputok ng baril. Siguro umiyak yun, tumakbo din siya. (Kaso) hindi eh,” said Gregorio. “’Yun ang mali sa magulang na parang lahat ng kamalian itinatama niya sa anak niya.”
(It wouldn’t have turned out this way had her parents raised her well. I’m sure she would’ve gotten scared too when the trigger was pulled. She might’ve cried, ran away. But that didn’t happen.”)
The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) echoed the call to spare the daughter from the weight of the public’s anger.
In a statement, the CWC said, “Bashing, sharing her pictures, and inciting further judgment through social media will not help the child learn the consequences of her actions.” It further stressed that children should be protected from cyberbullying.
It added: “Instigating condemnation and negative reaction towards her will make us no different from the real perpetrator who should be held accountable.”
The CWC pointed out that experiencing or being exposed to violence also increases the risk that a child may use or experience violence against partners, peers, and family members, based on the 2016 Systematic Literature Review on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children in the Philippines.
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