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. She observed Hubert was quite irritated, uneasy, and walked to and fro inside his room. G/F, 52 Princess Margaret Road [60] De Lima believed Dong Villadolid is the same person as Dong Ventura, one of the co-accused who fled to the US following the massacre. The lead suspect was Hubert Webb whose father, Freddie Webb was famous as an actor, former basketball player, and Paraaque congressman at the time of the murders. [22], On October 8, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness. 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. Firstly, like Alfaro, Alejo also received money and free accommodation from the persons who had interest in his testimony. So, some sectors are calling for Eleazars extension until after the May 2022 elections. Indeed, if the accused is truly innocent, he can have no other defense but denial and alibi. Those initially jailed for. But Villaramas opinion was not considered by the SC in their majority decision. [51] On March 18, Hubert Webb filed a lawsuit against Jessica Alfaro for false testimony at the Paraaque Prosecutor's Office. The Jessica Alfaro Story in 1995 was meanwhile focused on the star witness, portrayed by Alice Dixson. 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. Call 896 6000. 5. It is said that being elected president is a gift from God. [2] Two of the accused remain fugitives from the law: Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. He also ordered the Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima to study the possibility of giving compensation to Webb and others. While the SC rejected Alfaros testimony being not a credible witness, it held Alejo still a credible witness despite the inconsistencies in his testimony. But, unlike the house robbers, however the court points out that "Webb and his friends did not have anything to do in a darkened garage. 182555/G.R. The prescription period does not matter to me, its just a date, he said. 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. Hell never return to the Philippines, said the Thai tourist whose cash was filched by Manila airport security personnel. 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. After she finished the laundry, she went to the servant's quarters. [2] Tolentino said the certificates issued by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Philippine Bureau of Immigration "could have easily been obtained by the powerful Webb family". 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. Aug 5, 2008. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. The court considered the accused's "lack of interest in having such test done" in which they concluded that the state "cannot be deemed put on reasonable notice that it would be required to produce the semen specimen at some future time".[29]. Like Alejo, Herbas also at first instance identified Joel de Jesus as one of the gunmen during a police line-up but later withdraw his statement in open court. 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. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission 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. TRUTH OUT, HEALING BEGINS. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. The court said the "portion of Alfaro's story appears tortured to accommodate the physical evidence of the ransacked house" adding that "it is a story made to fit in with the crime scene although robbery was supposedly not the reason Webb and his companions entered that house". 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". Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. She added that suspect Miguel Rodriguez warned her to "shut up or you're gonna get killed" in the same disco on April 8, 1995, prompting her to voluntarily submit herself to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for protection. For those who havent heard aboutIsumbong, the public service program started at Radyo Veritas on June 1, 1991. The lower courts, however, reasoned that "Webb's alibi cannot stand against Alfaro's positive identification of him." In this case, the existence of an earlier negative report on the NIIS record on file concerning the entry of appellant Webb into and his exit from the US on March 9, 1991, and October 26, 1992, respectively, had raised serious doubt on the veracity and accuracy of the subsequently issued second certification dated August 31, 1995 which is based merely on a computer print-out of his alleged entry on March 9, 1991, and departure on October 26, 1992. With Romeo Vasquez, Elizabeth Oropesa, Robert Arevalo, Tommy Abuel. Eh di sana may sweldo ako. The case remained unsolved for almost four years until eyewitness, Jessica Alfaro Testified that Hubert Webb is the lead suspect and responsible of the crime committed. It was Alejo who had positively identified Joel and Lorenzo (delos Santos) during a police line-up. There was only one vital witness for the prosecution, Freddie Alejo. . ), Among evidence that was not admitted by Judge Tolentino, was the note verbale from the United States Embassy in Manila claiming that Webb entered the United States in March 1991 and left in October 1992. On August 11, 1999, the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City acquitted two of them and convicted the five others, now collectively known as the Abadilla Five. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison. [2][12] Security guards Justo Cabanacan and Normal White. The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. The CA rather held that positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction which was affirmed by the SC. At any rate, Rameses de Jesus admitted that they were using the new car of Lenido Lumanog. Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. 187745. Alfaro implicated the children of wealthy and prominent families, including Hubert Webb, Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Vffrillaret and Artemio Ventura. It is time to heal the past. Evid. Vizconde massacre. [56] According to De Lima, all the new witnesses passed the polygraph test. A news report on Thursday in Business Mirror that headlined Senate grills defense brass on plans for EDCA expansion, sites raised much curiosity for its sheer lack of detailed information. 124871, May 13, 2004. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. [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. Sign up now! The NBI is a special investigating body attached to the DoJ. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. 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. ), 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. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. He then hurled the little girl to a wall and started stabbing her. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. True Crime. Webb was the prime suspect of the infamous homicide that occurred on June 30, 1991. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. 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. I would not have ended up like this if you had not neglected me). Your subscription could not be saved. Needless to say, were unpopular with the PNP and other government agencies that citizens transact business with. In rejecting the defence of the accused, the SC also affirmed the conjecture the CA had put forward as to the possibility that the accused could have been present or somewhere at the vicinity where the crime took place, as mentioned below: On Joel de Jesus, it was not impossible for him to have gone also Katipunan Avenue (from Quezon City where he was driving), which is also part of Quezon City, not to mention the fact that with his tricycle, he could have easily moved from one place to another; On Rameses de Jesus and Lenido Lumanog, their claims lack credence as they are unsupported by the testimonies of independent witnesses. Based on the infamous and seemingly never ending 1991 Vizconde murder case in the Philippines where a woman and her two children; a teen daughter who was also raped and a 6-year-old, were all viciously stabbed to death while the husband was away in America on business. I found this As of yesterday, police had arrested and filed criminal charges against six fraternity members suspected to have beaten to death John Matthew Salilig in a twisted concept ofbrotherhood. A lying witness can make as positive an identification as a truthful witness can. Among the defense witnesses was Artemio Sacaguing, a former, now deceased NBI official who testified that Alfaro was an NBI asset who only volunteered to assume the role of the eyewitness when she could not produce the actual witness to the Vizconde killings. 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. 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. September 7, 2010http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm 185123/G.R. due to "overwhelming evidence that showed Webb and the other accused had conspired to rape Carmela and, in the process, kill her and the rest of the family." No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. 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. starring Kris Aquino as Carmela Vizconde. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. 24, Rule 134, R. Massacre era. He also claimed to have heard Hubert shout, Putang ina nyo! Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. The AHRC urges the SC to thoroughly review the pending final appeal of the accused in the Abadilla case. June 14, 1993 - Vizconde Massacre solved; 'brains,' three others fall Police finish investigation of the Vizconde case with the arrest of the suspected mastermind and three other suspects,. February 26, 2021. . Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. 'Ms. On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. Based on the infamous and seemingly never ending 1991 Vizconde murder case in the Philippines where a woman and her two children; a teen daughter who was also raped and a 6-year-old, were all viciously stabbed to death while the husband was away in America on business. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." After reading about how responsive Secretary Benhur Abalos is to matters raised by the media, some members of the PNP, particularly in the province of Iloilo, have shared through channels about their operational Local producers wont like it, but it looks like in the near future, there will be a flood of imported agricultural commodities. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. Acting solely on Alfaros testimony, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed charges of rape with homicide against the eight accused on August 1995. Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. 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." 121234 Hubert Webb et al. On December 14, 2010, the SC rendered its decision on the appeals of the accused, questioning the guilty verdict by the RTC and the CA. As a result, the court reverses the decision of the Court of Appeals, and acquits Webb, et al. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy. Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. The Vizconde murders remained unsolved for almost four years, until 1995 when eyewitness Jessica Alfaro, a self-confessed drug addict, came forward on April 28, 1995, to shed light on the massacre. 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. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. Suspicions, no matter how strong they are, must never sway judgment. She said that when she entered Hubert's room, she saw him wearing only his pants, awake and smoking in bed. Alfaro could not possibly prove the relationship between Hubert and Carmela, as they were strangers to each other, and Alfaro also could not have possibly identified the other accused because all of them were strangers to her. They cannot be the bases of conviction as they cannot substitute for the constitutional requirement of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Massacre case in 1991 Webb was accused of raping Carmela Vizconde, 18, who was killed in her family's Paraaque home on June 30, 1991. 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. Hopefully, if they will surface, public pressure will snowball and I will finally get the justice I am looking for, he said. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. I did that hoping to make them have second thoughts about doing so,.There is no justice in the Philippines. Sacaguing broke the guidelines in taking affidavits from witnesses. Make a difference. : Directed by Carlo J. Caparas. It cautioned itself from accepting the testimonies of witnesses without applying these tests. InVizconde case: Jessica Alfaros positive identification was rejected because she did not meet the test of a credible witness and that what she personally saw must be believable, not inherently contrived. The High Court put to question the quality of the testamentary evidence furnished by the witnesses. 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. The readers will notice soon enough the brevity of each topic. On June 30, 1991, three Vizconde women Estrellita, 49; her 19-year-old daughter, Carmela and the younger Jennifer, 6 were found dead in their home at BF Homes Village in Paraaque. He alleged that Webb bought illegal drugs from him on two other occasions in May 1991. She was the prosecutions worst possible choice for a witness. 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. 1. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. 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. Alejo had been under the Abadillas custody and protection instead of that of the WPP of the government. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? Similar to the Vizconde case, the five accused made a defence of alibi claiming that they were somewhere else on June 13, 1996 when the murder of Abadilla happened. Alfaro said she was then having reservations when she first executed the first affidavit and held back vital information due to her natural reaction of mistrust. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. In the said stockroom, there is a small door going to Hubert's room and in that door there is a small opening where she used to see Hubert and his friends sniffing on something. Alfaro, who had "practically lived" at the NBI's offices, would have been able to hear about the details, and gain access to the documents, without difficulty. 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. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. Person of interest in hazing case of Adamson student found dead, Jeepney phaseout: Its more than just new vehicles, Sandiganbayan convicts ex-Pagcor chair Genuino of graft, House energy committee chair Arroyo bats for cheap electricity, LIVE UPDATES: Face-to-face classes, work suspended as transport strike looms, vivo announces PHP 1,000 price drop on vivo V25e, Kickstart summer with vivos hot smartphone deals this 3.3, Over 24,000 hectares of coral reef at risk following Mindoro oil spill, Frat members planned to burn Adamson hazing victims body police | INQToday, Joey de Leon laughs off Eat Bulaga rebranding rumors; Tito Sotto meets up with show producer Tony Tuviera, LIST: LGUs, schools suspend face-to-face classes, work as transport strike looms, NBA: Devin Booker, Suns cruise past Bulls in second half. No. The Vizconde massacre, dubbed the crime of the 20th century, was my defining moment as a columnist and defender of the oppressed and those. 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. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. [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. Knowing this, I cannot but hesitate to swallow everything that Alejo said at the trial. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption(VACC) asked Justice Antonio Carpio and his cousin Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales to take a leave while the case is being decided to avoid undue influence on the court's decision. I told my family that I did my best. It would be a serious miscarriage of justice and a demonstration of inequality before the law should jurisprudence not be applied equally. 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. It was hard to tell which made up the truth and the lies. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. I stood my ground because I had all the facts in my hand. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. 132577 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, 1999, G.R. The AHRC is deeply concerned by the contradiction in the application of jurisprudence by the SC in these cases, particularly its ruling on positive identification, the credibility of witness and its appreciation of forensic evidence. al, 1995, G.R. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. To support this, Webb presented a Certification issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service of August 31, 1995 confirming that his entry into that country was recorded. [29], For the alibi to be established "the accused must prove by positive, clear, and satisfactory evidence that he was present at another place at the time of the perpetration of the crime, and that it was physically impossible for him to be at the scene of the crime". The women were found dead with multiple stab wounds and no witnesses, murder weapons or motive have been uncovered. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. 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. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. But the grieving father couldn't distinguish the truth from the lies. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. But Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who concurred with the decision, wrote strongly against basing judgement on conjectures: Facts decide cases. [2] Alfaro said that policeman Gerardo Biong "was instructed by Webb, in my presence, to take care of the house where the incident happened". You are just a few clicks away from making [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. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. 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. But her parents did not allow her to go. Webb's travel documents and other paper trail of his stay in the US are unreliable proof of his absence in the Philippines at the time of the commission of the crime charged. To find out more, please click this link. Indeed, her superior testified that she volunteered to play the role of a witness in the Vizconde killings when she could not produce a man she promised to the NBI. 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. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. I can't express enough how sad and unjust today's story. No. No. [165] The discrepancies between a sworn statement and testimony in court do not outrightly justify the acquittal of an accused,[166] as testimonial evidence carries more weight than an affidavit. 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. Kaya laban lang tayo. I will be conferring with my lawyers about my future moves.. No. Sulu in the eyes of my good friend Princess Jacel Kiram is a potential eco-tourism destination and fruit basket of the country. Webb wanted Alfaro, the then-girlfriend of one of the accused men, Peter Estrada, to join them because Estrellita Vizconde only allowed her daughter to go out and entertain female visitors. It held that a positive declaration from a witness that he saw the accused commit the crime should not automatically cancel out the accuseds claim that he did not do it. Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. Equal protection of the law is fundamental in the countrys Constitution. For example, the prosecutor, instead of admitting Alejo to the WPP during trial, rather chose instead to allow the Abadillas, who had an interest in Alejos testimony, to make him dependent on them for his livelihood at least for the duration of the trial of the case. 176389 / G.R. [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]. 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". However, keep in mind not to be vindictive. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. "[29] In general, the court said that Alfaro's story "lacks sense or suffers from inherent inconsistencies. The court also said that if Webb was in the U.S. when the crime was committed, the Alfaro's testimony would not hold together: "Without it, the evidence against the others must necessarily fall.
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