Only minor cases, like oral defamation and quarrel between neighbors, are handled by the barangay. The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. Democrito Barcenas, former Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City president and regional coordinator of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG): I think that most of the justices are right in their decision. 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. He said that he heard Hubert Webb quarreling with another young looking customer. Their original conviction was capital punishment but their sentence was modified to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished. No. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. The case of the Vizconde Massacre took another direction only after four years, when Jessica Alfaro surfaced and became the case's star witness. 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 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. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. Anyone can be paid! One of the important pieces of evidence, which I presented to the court later, was the copy of an invoice issued to Hubert Webb on coincidence of coincidences! 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. When she could not produce the person, Sacaguing continued to press her saying that she might as well assume the role of her informant.. So how can such accused penetrate a mind that has been made cynical by the rule drilled into his head that a defense of alibi is a hangmans noose in the face of a witness positively swearing. With Romeo Vasquez, Elizabeth Oropesa, Robert Arevalo, Tommy Abuel. 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. The Vizconde Massacre. We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. No. Vizconde massacre timeline | Philstar.com 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. The jurisprudence mentioned above that the SC invoked has not been equally applied. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. 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. Alibi cannot prevail over the positive identification of a credible witness [140].. [55], On June 28, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Hubert Webb was in the Philippines when the murders took place. 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 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. It is hard to believe this there is a record of supposed arrival from other country but no record of departure in 1991 or in any month of 1991, she said. Hello friends! 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. 3. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. 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. She said that when she entered Hubert's room, she saw him wearing only his pants, awake and smoking in bed. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. Hong Kong Former Paraaque policeman Gerardo Biong was found guilty as an accessory for burning bedsheets and tampering with other evidence in the crime. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. [9] They were acquitted by a trial judge in September 1993 for insufficient evidence.[9]. "[29] In general, the court said that Alfaro's story "lacks sense or suffers from inherent inconsistencies. [56][62][63][64] Dang claimed to have heard Dong Villadolid shouting at the top of his voice, saying they had raped and killed a certain Maria (presumed to be Maria Carmela Vizconde) and other persons. Hell never return to the Philippines, said the Thai tourist whose cash was filched by Manila airport security personnel. 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 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." Corona." vs. People of the Philippines et al., 1997, G.R. Based on my findings, I defended Hubert in my column and in my radio and TV programs. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. 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. A second movie, The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II, was released in 1994. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. The tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. 2. No. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. 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 . Fax: +(852) 2698 6367, Copyright 2023 Asian Human Rights Commission. On Vizconde Massacre, Hubert Webb and the Quest for True Justice (1st Alejo had been under the Abadillas custody and protection instead of that of the WPP of the government. Theyre projecting Digong as a feeble old man still seeking power. The majority of the justices also rejected as conjecture the argument of one of the dissenting justices, Martin Villarama Jr., that it would not have been impossible during the interregnum for Webb to travel back to the country and again fly to the US several times considering that the travel time on board an airline from the Philippines to San Francisco, and from San Francisco to the Philippines takes only about twelve (12) to fourteen (14) hours. During the trial, accused Webb made a defence of alibi claiming that he was in the United States when the massacre of the Vizcondes happened. Policewoman Diaz even insulted Allan, saying he had no right to file the attempted rape complaint on behalf of the girl, because he was only the stepfather. The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) 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. With the exception of Filart and Ventura who had been convicted in absentia the men were acquitted by the Supreme Court on December 14, 2010 for failure of the prosecution to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. 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. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw the attention of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines to its recent decision on two well-known cases tried in the lower courts; the conviction in the Vizconde Massacre case was overturned while that of the Abadilla murder case was affirmed. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. For there is no law requiring that the testimony of a simple [sic] witness should be corroborated for it to be accorded full faith and credit. Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. 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. Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. The Jessica Alfaro Story in 1995 was meanwhile focused on the star witness, portrayed by Alice Dixson. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. At any rate, Rameses de Jesus admitted that they were using the new car of Lenido Lumanog. Former NBI official Pedro Rivera however dismissed as lies the testimony of Sacaguing saying that Agent Sacaguing had a record of notoriety in the NBI which prompted his transfer to remote places of assignment until his early retirement. After she finished the laundry, she went to the servant's quarters. I stand by my story. 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. [46], President Benigno Aquino III ordered the law enforcement agencies to re-investigate the case six months before the prescription period lapses. I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. Their claims were corroborated by witnesses who are disinterested parties, their relatives and friends and documentary evidence. It was hard to tell which made up the truth and the lies. Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. Conjectures and suspicions are not facts, hence, they have no evidentiary value. Both Webb and del Toro could not describe in court what Hubert's work was, Tolentino said. 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". Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth - Facebook [29] By her account, after a drug session with the group, Webb allegedly had hatched his plan to rape Carmela Vizconde. 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. 5. 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 filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. 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. 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. MANILA, Philippines - Six new witnesses reveal Hubert Webb, son of former Senator Freddie Webb, was in the Philippines when the Vizconde massacre took place on June 1991. 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. Three days after that, he was allegedly approached by Mrs. Webb who reportedly told him, You did not see anything. A week after, Sen. Freddie Webb allegedly told him, You did not see anything. For almost two decades, Filipinos have been mystified by the brutal 1991 killing of a mother and her two daughters. Among those present were former Vice President Teofisto Guingona; Arsenio Boy Evangelista, father of carjack victim Venson Evangelista; Dacer-Corbito witness Cezar Mancao and his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio; and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC). The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary. 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. InAbadilla case: The SC affirmed the CAs judgement as inconclusive the use of forensic evidence, for example, the fingerprints and ballistic test results, showing that none of the five accused had their fingerprints match to those extracted from the murder victims car.