Eh di sana may sweldo ako. The readers will notice soon enough the brevity of each topic. Their original conviction was capital punishment but their sentence was modified to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished. It would be a serious miscarriage of justice and a demonstration of inequality before the law should jurisprudence not be applied equally. The court said that Alfaro was not a credible witness and that her "story of what she personally saw must be believable, not inherently contrived". Hubert Webb - Wikipedia By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. [4] In the Trial Court (People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et al., G.R. Allan (surname intentionally omitted), stepfather of a 16-year-old girl who was nearly raped by a neighbor, went with his daughter to the police station in San Jose, Batangas recently to file a complaint. Lorenzo delos Santos was acquitted due to lack of evidence, but the RTC, the CA and the SC ignored that fact that the same positive identification it invoked in convicting the Abadilla Five came from exactly the same testimonies that have been used to acquit Delos Santos. The politician would only be allowed by the spouse to run if the party that this politician will join can come up with a big amount for their family. [29], In his dissenting opinion, Justice Villarama argued that the claim of Webb that he could not have committed the crime because he left for the United States on March 9, 1991, and returned to the Philippines only on October 26, 1992, was correctly rejected by the Regional Trial Court and Court of Appeals. I expected this decision because since the start, I knew that Jessica Alfaro was not entirely telling the truth. Needless to say, were unpopular with the PNP and other government agencies that citizens transact business with. Thus the SC decision on the Vizconde massacre is flawed, Paguia averred, citing a portion of Fortich v. Corona, 312 SCRA 751, at 758 where the SC itself ruled that unless the minimum number of EIGHT votes for a majority is attained there is no decision to speak of, therefore the release order of the Webb group should not have been signed. [29] The court also said the same for the issue of the garage light: she claimed that Ventura climbed the car's hood, using a chair, to turn the light off. 187745. She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. Manila Times Special Report on the Vizconde Case, G.R. The SC also held that it was possible for Alfaro to know the details about the Vizconde killings because she had prior access to the details that the investigators knew of the case. The fight is not over. 24, Rule 134, R. Webb was the prime suspect of the infamous homicide that occurred on June 30, 1991. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . This coincided with his passport and Philippine Immigration records but were dismissed by Tolentino due to belief that these documents can possibly be falsified. Villarama noted that the alleged Passport, Passenger Manifest of United Airlines Flight and United Airline ticket of accused Webb offered in evidence were mere photocopies of an alleged original, which were never presented. Copyright 2023. The remains of his wife and daughters were also exhumed from their grave at Holy Cross Memorial Park in Quezon City and transferred to his grave. The Murder of an Entire Family While Dad Was Abroad for Work By her account, after a drug session with the group, Webb allegedly had hatched his plan to rape Carmela Vizconde. Anyone can be paid! Alfaro accused Hubert Webb, son of former senator Freddie Webb, as the mastermind of the massacre, along with five other men, all coming from prominent families. The AHRC urges the SC to thoroughly review the pending final appeal of the accused in the Abadilla case. Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. To find out more, please click this link. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. [47], On December 28, 2010, new witnesses have come forward accusing Hubert Webb and others of allegedly being behind the Vizconde massacre. The story of the Vizconde Massacre wasn't just a single story; it varied as told by a number of witnesses. At about 4 a.m. on June 30, 1991, Gaviola woke up and entered the bedrooms to get the Webb's dirty laundry and wash it as part of her job. The court noted the inconsistency between Alfaro's testimony of Webb being Carmela's boyfriend, who had no reason in breaking the glass panel of the house's front door to enter the house; Alfaro said that Webb "picked up some stone and, out of the blue, hurled it at the glass-paneled front door". White, on the other hand, said he saw the three cars enter the subdivision on the night of June 29, as Alfaro had testified; White also testified that policeman Gerardo Biong was the first to arrive at the crime scene. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. The case was featured on a Philippine TV show Case Unclosed as its ninth episode, "Vizconde Massacre Case. [2][3] Estrellita Vizconde, 49, suffered thirteen stab wounds; Carmela Vizconde, 19, suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed; and Anne Marie Jennifer, 6, had nineteen stab wounds. The High Court put to question the quality of the testamentary evidence furnished by the witnesses. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. :Isumbongwill make a comeback on PTV-4 on June 12, 2021. Only minor cases, like oral defamation and quarrel between neighbors, are handled by the barangay. In their alibis, Joel de Jesus claimed he was driving his passenger tricycle in Fairview, Quezon City the whole day; for SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, he was at Camp Crame (headquarters of the Philippine National Police, PNP) for official business and his presence was also corroborated by two police officials whom he had transacted business with; for Augusto Santos, he was at the Jose Fabella Hospital in Sta. The tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. vs. Raul de Leon et. "[29], The court held that security guard Normal E. White, Jr.'s testimony was unreliable. I got involved in the case after Webb told me Hubert, whose name was slowly cropping up in news reports as a prime suspect, was in the United States when the dastardly crime happened. In rejecting questions to Alejos credibility, the SC affirmed the CAs ruling that the credible testimony of a lone witness(es) assumes more weight when there is no showing that he was actuated by improper motive to testify falsely against the accused, as in the case of Freddie Alejo. Hence, it was not physically impossible for them to travel to Quezon City via the North Expressway at the time the crime took place; On Augusto Santos, the corroboration of his brother-in-law, Jonas Padel Ayhon, that he was at the Jose Fabella Hospital when the crime happened, the CA rejected his corroboration because he was not an impartial witness and ruled that where nothing supports the alibi than the testimony of a relative, it deserves scant consideration. Secondly, in the Abadilla case the SC held that the defense of alibi is weak, but in the Vizconde case it held that not all denials and alibis should be regarded as fabricated. [139] Against positive evidence, alibi becomes most unsatisfactory. No. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. Hell never return to the Philippines, said the Thai tourist whose cash was filched by Manila airport security personnel. Estrellita, 47, had suffered thirteen stab wounds; Carmela, 18, had suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed; and Jennifer, 7, had nineteen stab . But in the Abadilla case, the relatives and friends are not an impartial witness to corroborate the defence of alibi of the accused. It defended the attack on Alejos credibility, for example, his inconsistencies on the number of gunmen, arguing that this had already been explained by Alejo during cross-examination by correcting his earlier statement and that the affidavits, being ex-parte, are almost always incomplete and often inaccurate, but do not really detract from the credibility of witnesses. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. It is time to heal the past. The court also said that it was "possible for Alfaro to lie" on the details of the case. Alfaro, upon explaining on how the house was ransacked, (the Paraaque police had earlier blamed house robbers as suspects), said that Ventura was looking for the front-door key and the car key. Please try again. The Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com [60], Although Webb's group can no longer be retried because of double jeopardy, De Lima said the purpose of the reinvestigation was to uncover the truth and bring closure to Lauro Vizconde.[65][66]. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. They were sentenced to reclusion perpetua and ordered to indemnify the Vizconde family Php 3 million for the murders. Kaya laban lang tayo. The court ruled that Alfaro was "a stool pigeon, one who earned her living by fraternizing with criminals so she could squeal on them to her NBI handlers." Guillermo Lorenzo Guilor Eleazar, recently appointed chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), bows out on Nov. 13 this year when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. The prosecution of this case only began in August 10, 1995, four years after the massacre happened, when Jessica Alfaro, an informant working for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), told lawyer Artemio Sacaguing, an official of the NBI, that she knew someone who had the real story behind the Vizconde massacre. Conjectures and suspicions are not facts, hence, they have no evidentiary value. Cabanacan said Webb had entered the subdivision (where the Vizconde house was located) a few days before the massacre and that he even identified himself as the son of then Congressman Webb. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. Executive M/Sgt. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. While washing Hubert Webb's clothing, Gaviola said she noticed fresh bloodstains on his shirt. Sulu in the eyes of my good friend Princess Jacel Kiram is a potential eco-tourism destination and fruit basket of the country. 5. In the Philippines in 1992, the Vizconde Massacre, which saw the murder of multiple women who had been stabbed to death, created an investigation full of problems. This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 03:37. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. I will be conferring with my lawyers about my future moves.. . We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. Similar to the accused in the Vizconde case, all the accused in the Abadilla case invoked their defence of alibi. But her parents did not allow her to go. . [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine Senator, Freddie Webb; and six others from a wealthy family background similar to that of the accused. The SC, however, upheld the RTC and the CAs judgement that the defence of alibi of the accused is a weak defense, (and that) for it to prosper, the accused must prove not only that he was at some other place at the time of the commission of the crime, but also, that it was physically impossible for him to be or within its immediate vicinity. As a host of the program that carries my surname, I and my all-female staff have handled complaints from citizens, concerning abusive or arrogant policemen and other government functionaries. [60] Mario, a hair stylist during the period June 1991, testified that Webb, along with Tony Boy Lejano and Dong Ventura had their haircut. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! 176864. Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Vizconde is clinging to the hope that even if this period ended Thursday, more concerned citizens will approach the National Bureau of Investigation to corroborate claims made by new witnesses that Webb was seen in BF Homes, Paraaque City, at the time of the murders. As a result, the court reverses the decision of the Court of Appeals, and acquits Webb, et al. My program is the originalsumbungan ng bayan sa radyo(roughly, citizens complaint center on radio). The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. A local elected official whos being groomed to run for a national office is being sold to the highest bidder by the politicians spouse. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. InVizconde case: The majority of the justices strongly argued against relying on conjectures on deciding the case, particularly on the claim that Hubert Jeffrey could have been in the Philippines, and not in the U.S., when the crime happened. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. [23] On November 26, 2010, Lauro Vizconde voiced his concern to media about the purported lobbying of Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio for the reversal of the guilty verdict. Jubilation by the citizenry greeted the report of his appointment. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. I did that hoping to make them have second thoughts about doing so,.There is no justice in the Philippines. CONCLUSION: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by this unequal application of jurisprudence by the SC on the Abadilla murder and the Vizconde massacre. The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. The SCs decision in acquitting all the accused in the Vizconde case has fundamental contradictions to its earlier decision affirming the guilty verdict of the accused in the Abadilla case. A second movie, The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II May The Lord Be With Us, was released in 1994 and starred Vina Morales as Carmela and Joko Daz as an assailant. The defense questioned Alfaro's credibility noting that she admitted to being under the influence of drugs when she allegedly witnessed the crime and had made inconsistent statements on her two affidavits. It is that simple. Secondly, Alfaros quality as a witness and her inconsistent, if not inherently unbelievable, testimony cannot be the positive identification that jurisprudence acknowledges as sufficient. Justo Cabanacan, the security supervisor of the gated community, said that he saw Webb enter the gated community, although he did not record Webb entering in his log book. About the Show; You May Also Like . On the contrary, it reopens it. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. 176389 / G.R. Visconde Masscre - Weebly Hubert Jeffrey Webb sought for an acquittal after he had found out that the NBI could no longer produce the DNA specimen extracted from the cadaver of the rape victim. [18], In her decision, Tolentino described the testimony of defense witnesses as full of inconsistencies and biased. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. Call 896 6000. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. Once again, the SCs applications of jurisprudence on the admissibility of forensic evidence in criminal trial have not been equally applied. TV-14. No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. Lauro Vizconde on Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the murders of his wife and two daughters at his residence in BF Homes, Paraaque City. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission Firstly, like Alfaro, Alejo also received money and free accommodation from the persons who had interest in his testimony. Ho Man Tin, Kowloon The Truth about Mendiola Massacre - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. On June 30, 1991, 47-year-old housewife Estrellita Vizconde and daughters Carmela, 18, and Jennifer, 7, were found dead in their residence in BF Homes in Paraaque. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? True Crime. Cruz, Manila accompanying his brother-in-law, Jonas Padel Ayhon, whose wife had just given birth; and Rameses de Jesus and Lenido Lumanog had just left Manila for Mabalacat, Pampanga where they stayed until the evening of June 14. Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. As to the failure to present the forensic evidence and its subsequent loss, the SC held: the semen specimen taken from Carmela cannot possibly lie. Pitong, an electrician who since 1982, already knew the Webb family claimed he saw a laundry woman wash a bloodied T-shirt on the morning of the crime. Indeed, if the accused is truly innocent, he can have no other defense but denial and alibi. He alleged that he could not forget Webb because Biong had allegedly threatened him, Do not cheat him. Still seeking justice for his family's grim fate, Lauro Vizconde exhausts all resources available to him. Alibi cannot prevail over the positive identification of a credible witness [140].. The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. ", The victims of the massacre (from left to right): Jennifer, Carmela, and Estrellita Vizconde, "The Vizconde massacre: Justice not served", "Lauro Vizconde to be buried in same grave with family Wednesday", "Manila Standard Google News Archive Search", "The Manila Times Internet Edition SPECIAL REPORT > Questions linger in Vizconde case", The Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 31, 2010, "Philippine Daily Inquirer Google News Archive Search", "NBI exec: We've turned over semen specimen from Vizconde girl to court", "2 SC justices asked to go on leave pending Vizconde decision", "SC sues for time, defers ruling on Vizconde case", Philippine Daily Inquirer, SC Acquits Webb et al, "Supreme Court decision on Webb et al re Vizconde Massacre", Lauro Vizconde in tears, Webbs on 'cloud nine', Gary, Kris speak up on Hubert's acquittal, Outrage over decision, sympathy for Vizconde, Ruling raises more questions, lawyers point out, Vizconde kin question why Webb was released so quickly, Alfaro unwilling to testifying anew in Vizconde case Jessica Alfaro stands by story, Criminal law experts umalma sa pag-absuwelto ng SC kay Webb, Ex-VP Guingona to SC: Reverse Webb's acquittal to give justice to Vizconde, "Another 'Joey Filart' still under detention", "New Vizconde massacre witnesses surface", New witnesses to prove Webb in PH during Vizconde massacre, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Hubert Webb seeks P180K compensation for 'unlawful' conviction, NBI, PNP teams probe 3 sets of Vizconde slay suspects, Vizconde massacre has new set of witnesses, Evidence, witnesses 'shatter' Webb alibi: task force, DoJ chief: No credible proof of Webb in crime scene, De Lima hints at explosive breakthrough in Vizconde probe. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. She cited the testimony of Alex del Toro, husband of Webb's relative, who said he hired Hubert Webb as an employee at his pesticide company in California. [46], President Benigno Aquino III ordered the law enforcement agencies to re-investigate the case six months before the prescription period lapses. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. However, the court pointed out that while Webb or his parents may be able to "arrange for the local immigration to put a March 9, 1991 departure stamp on his passport and an October 27, 1992 arrival stamp", they could not fix a foreign airlines passenger manifest, and the U.S. Immigration's record system. Another accused, Joey Filart also fled to the United States. It was based on the rule of the minority and not the majority as they (the SC justices) had enunciated in Fortich v. The CA in effect crafted and formulated the conjectures giving them the appreciation similar to facts offered as evidence where it had based the judgment. But in the Abadilla case, not only did the SC affird the CAs ruling in rejecting the defence of alibi, it did not also question the CAs formulation of conjectures on which it based its judgement. When we die, that is when we will be given the whole truth May the Lord console you in all your afflictions, The priest said. Yes, but what can I do (?). [24] This was categorically denied by the Supreme Court as Justice Carpio had in fact recused himself from the case and was not going to take part in the deliberation. Several jeepney drivers groups have called for an unprecedented one-week strike next week to demand extension of the deadline for phasing out traditional vehicles and replacing them with modern It will take over 200 years for women to be at par with men, a news report from Davos said. Vizconde said his quest for justice was continuing despite the end of the prescription period for the prosecution of his familys killers. Hubert Webb of Vizconde Massacre Freed- Breaking News - theAsianparent Thus, it was not surprising for Alfaro to testify with great details in court. [56] According to De Lima, all the new witnesses passed the polygraph test. The prescription period does not matter to me, its just a date, he said. 2. Published July 4, 2011 7:24pm. You are just a few clicks away from making The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary. Alejo had been under the Abadillas custody and protection instead of that of the WPP of the government. The Jessica Alfaro Story in 1995 was meanwhile focused on the star witness, portrayed by Alice Dixson. Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. 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