About the Show; You May Also Like . She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. Evid. The RTC, however, acquitted Delos Santos despite being positively identified also by Alejo as one of those who was present at the crime scene. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. On the contrary, it reopens it. ), Moreover, Judge Tolentino also denied Webb's request to subject semen samples to DNA testing on the belief that the samples may no longer be intact. Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. Thus, her testimony could not be admitted. [57] The witnesses include an electrician, a drug dealer, a couple of neighborhood basketball players, a hairdresser and a village security guard. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. They were sentenced to reclusion perpetua and ordered to indemnify the Vizconde family Php 3 million for the murders. I told my family that I did my best. Anyone can be paid! Hubert and his co-accused were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court for the crime on June 6, 2000. Secondly, the SC affirmed the CAs assertion that Alejo was a credible witness ignoring the questions to his credibility by arguing that: positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction for murder against appellants. 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 . [18], In her decision, Tolentino described the testimony of defense witnesses as full of inconsistencies and biased. She said the US-based defense witnesses, most of whom are relatives or friends of the Webb family suffered from "incorrigible and selective memory syndrome". [52] On June 14, 2011, Hubert Webb filed a P180,000 compensation claim for "unlawful conviction" for the Vizconde massacre. Alfaro said that when she went back to the house, she saw the bodies of Estrellita and Jennifer on the bed and Webb raping Carmela on the floor. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! Night of June 2930, 1991 Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde were killed in their Paraaque home; Carmela was found to have been raped. 127262 Hubert Webb, et al. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! 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. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. [4] In the Trial Court (People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et al., G.R. Herbas had testified for the defence instead of the prosecution when the Abadilla did not fulfil his promise to give him (Herbas) exactly the same salary he was receiving and when he was told that he would no longer be presented as witness because the testimony of Alejo would be sufficient. It is that simple. 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. At any rate, Rameses de Jesus admitted that they were using the new car of Lenido Lumanog. [12] On July 24, 1997, the Supreme Court noted that Tolentino erred when she refused to admit the 132 pieces of evidence presented by the defense, although these were later admitted in court through an order issued by Tolentino.[12][16]. Executive M/Sgt. The Vizconde massacre has been dubbed as the trial of the century as the accused hailed from prominent families of the Philippines. On January 4, 2000, the Regional Trial Court of Paranaque City rendered its judgement finding all the accused guilty as charged imposing a penalty of life imprisonment. Nos. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. (P.S. Thus, it was not surprising for Alfaro to testify with great details in court. [46], President Benigno Aquino III ordered the law enforcement agencies to re-investigate the case six months before the prescription period lapses. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. This has resulted in the revelation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that they no longer had the specimens as these were remanded to the Paraaque courts. 176864. The 3 sets of suspects are: the Barroso Akyat-Bahay gang; the group of construction workers with engineer Danilo Agwas tagged as mastermind; SPO3 Angel Viaje, PO3 Rodolfo Colado, Ruben Pineda; and, the group of Hubert Webb. The trial began in August 1995 before Paraaque RTC Judge Amelita Tolentino. [3], The Inter-Agency Task Force assigned to reinvestigate Vizconde massacre case formed 6 teams or 3 parallel teams to look into 3 sets of suspects linked to the murders. [2] Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United States on business when the murders took place. Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. Nephews had posted a banner declaring "Truth prevails 20 years after" and demanding "Final justice for the Vizconde massacre victims," in apparent reference to government probers' claims . [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. 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. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. Corona." Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. No. Unreliability of Jessica Alfaro's testimony: Alfaro had prior knowledge on the facts of the case having been an, Alfaro was not able to explain why the house was ransacked if robbery was not the motive of Webb and his group, Unreliability of testimony from other witnesses, Alfaro's testimony will fall apart if Webb was not at the crime scene and will relieve the others accused of the crime. The Vizconde murders remained unsolved for almost four years, until eyewitness Jessica Alfaro, a self-confessed former drug addict, came forward on April 28, 1995, to shed light on the massacre. Hello friends! 808 bound for New York and who expressed doubt on whether Hubert Webb was his co-passenger in the trip; NBI medico-legal Dr. Prospero Cabanayan, Belen Dometita and Teofilo Minoza, two of the Vizconde maids; and Manciano Gatmaitan, an engineer. No. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. Like the accused in the Vizconde case and for any other cases for that matter, the accused in the Abadilla murder case also deserve equal protection of the law. Like Herbas, court records had also shown that Alejo has been receiving money and free accommodation from the Abadillas. [30], In three separate occasions, police authorities mistakenly arrested persons they believed to be suspect Joey Filart: a namesake in August 1995, the same person again in February 2000, and a person from Compostela Valley in March 2000. Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. [6][7][8] The suspects said they were tortured and forced to confess to the crime before they were presented by Filart to the media. All of us who have cases in court, dont we realize that if your opponent has money, brace yourself. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. Call 896 6000. Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. I stand by my story. But to Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paranaque Regional Trial Court, the truth was the account of star witness Jessica Alfaro. [2] Alfaro said that policeman Gerardo Biong "was instructed by Webb, in my presence, to take care of the house where the incident happened". 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. 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. People cried for justice for the Vizcondes and one of the suspects was Hubert Webb, son of then Paraaque congressman Freddie Webb, who later became a senator. 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". After she finished the laundry, she went to the servant's quarters. He alleged that he could not forget Webb because Biong had allegedly threatened him, Do not cheat him. She was the prosecutions worst possible choice for a witness. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. Hong Kong It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. Her mother, Estrellita, 47, and sister, Jennifer, 7, were also killed. Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. InAbadilla case: The SC admitted the positive identification of witness Freddie Alejo when it considered him a credible witness. This was how Lauro Vizcondes relatives summed it up on Thursday night after a Mass marking the 20th anniversary of the death of his wife Estrellita and daughters Carmela and Jennifer. G.R. 'Ms. Both the SC and the CA affirmed the RTCs sentence of guilty verdict without applying the test on the credibility of a witness as they did in Vizconde case. 121234 Hubert Webb et al. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." 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. De Lima said they could still go after Filart and Ventura, as well as the Villadolid brothers, since the prescriptive period of 20 years for homicide does not apply to them because they were abroad. The Vizconde Massacre was the multiple homicide of members of the Vizconde family on June 30, 1991 at their residence in BF Homes, Paraaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. The San Jose police station eventually received and filed the complaint with the prosecutors office in Batangas City, only after my staff at Isumbong mo kay Tulfo told them Diazs arrogance would reach Camp Crame. They are Lenido Lumanog, Augusto Santos, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus and Joel de Jesus. The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) "[29] In general, the court said that Alfaro's story "lacks sense or suffers from inherent inconsistencies. This is despite questions to his credibility for receiving money and enjoying privileges while he was in Abadillas custody and the existence of inconsistencies in his testimonies in open court. ABADILLA MURDER CASE: This case is about the murder of Rolando Abadilla, a police colonel during Marcos regime, at 8:30 on June 13, 1996 at the Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. On SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, the RTC, the CA and the SC, accepted the fact that he was at Camp Crame, but the SC affirmed the RTC and the CAs conjecture that it was not impossible for him to have gone to Katipunan road, Blue Ridge, which is relatively near Camp Crame when the shooting happened around 8.40 in the morning. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. [citation needed] (The Philippine Rules of Evidence require official attestation of the authenticity of any public document presented in evidence; as per Sec. It is time to heal the past. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. Make a difference. [17], On January 6, 2000, Judge Tolentino rendered her decision, finding Hubert Webb, Peter Estrada, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Antonio Lejano II and Miguel Rodriguez guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. Powered by, Appendix: Case analysis: Supreme Courts rulings on Vizconde and Abadilla cases are contradictory, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/december2010/176389.htm, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm, http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf, http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. 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." The lower courts, however, reasoned that "Webb's alibi cannot stand against Alfaro's positive identification of him." The details of how they were killed were grim. Webb's testimony was also contradicted by other US-based defense witnesses who said they usually saw him "going to the beach, malling, bar-hopping or playing basketball. This was a case that was solved nine years after the murders and then unsolved 10 years later. Asuncion, 27, was a constant playmate of Jennifer Vizconde, who was 7 years old when she was killed. He also ordered the Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima to study the possibility of giving compensation to Webb and others. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. Alfaro testified that as Webb followed Carmela into the dining room, she decided to step outside for a smoke. 2. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. Equal protection of the law is fundamental in the countrys Constitution. Lauro Vizconde the husband of Estrellita and father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United State on business when the murders took place. Secondly, Alfaros quality as a witness and her inconsistent, if not inherently unbelievable, testimony cannot be the positive identification that jurisprudence acknowledges as sufficient. I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. The CA rather held that positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction which was affirmed by the SC. In a 38-page strongly-worded decision promulgated on Tuesday, the . [2][12] Security guards Justo Cabanacan and Normal White. The ballistic test results also did not match to any of the firearms supposedly taken from the accused to the empty shells that were recovered at the crime scene. The court also amended the award of damages from 100,000 pesos to 200,000 pesos, and also upheld the conviction of Biong as accessory to the crime "by abusing his public functions to conceal and destroy the physical evidence in order to prevent the discovery of the crime and by allowing the destruction of the physical evidence, Biong facilitated the escape of the principal accused. The passing away of Lauro Vizconde a few days ago does not close the sad chapter on the tragedy known as the Vizconde massacre. When she could not produce the person, Sacaguing continued to press her saying that she might as well assume the role of her informant.. 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. 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. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. 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. [13][14], Other prosecution witnesses were: Carlos J. Cristobal who alleged that on March 9, 1991, he was a passenger of United Airlines Flight No. Who does forget the heart-crushing 1991 Visconde massacre, with Jessica Alfaro standing as the star witness, whistle-blowing the details how these young men before, coming from our society's influential families, killed Mang Lauro's wife and his two daughters. [12] (Under Philippine law, generally, alibi is the weakest defense, especially where there is direct testimony of an eyewitness, duly corroborated by another. I got my style of writing when I was a reporter, news writer and newsreader on radio during the pre-martial law era, and as a deskman and feature writer of the Philippines News Agency (PNA). June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. The Vizconde murder case, colloquially known as the Vizconde massacre, was the multiple homicide of members of the Vizconde family on June 30, 1991 at their residence at 80 Vinzons Street, BF Homes, Paraaque, Metro Manila, Philippines.Estrellita Vizconde, 49, suffered thirteen stab wounds; Maria Carmela Vizconde, 19, suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed . "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. This is a violation of the duty of state." But Custodio admits this may be easier said than done. [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. Alfaro had testified that she knew the suspects and was at the Vizconde house when the crime was committed. There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said. That's all crap! 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.
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