I became a villain in the eyes of the citizenry that was crying for blood; but I was steadfast. The SC rendered its judgment on the Abadilla case on September 7 and on the Vizconde case on December 14 of this year [2010]. 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, dubbed the crime of the 20th century, was my defining moment as a columnist and defender of the oppressed and those. Therefore, the SCs rejection of Villamaras opinion demonstrates a fundamental contradiction to its September 7 decision on the Abadilla case. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. Vizconde should go after the national government. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. [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. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. The RTC, however, acquitted Delos Santos despite being positively identified also by Alejo as one of those who was present at the crime scene. It would be a serious miscarriage of justice and a demonstration of inequality before the law should jurisprudence not be applied equally. Thus, it was not surprising for Alfaro to testify with great details in court. vs. People of the Philippines et al., 1997, G.R. They cannot be the bases of conviction as they cannot substitute for the constitutional requirement of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. It is time to heal the past. The Murder of an Entire Family While Dad Was Abroad for Work I stand by my story. SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness. 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. Alejo confirmed these two (2) as the persons he saw from his guard post walking to and fro before the shooting incident. There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said. 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. [10] According to the footage of the trial, Alfaro had been able to identify all the defendants by their names. 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. TRUTH OUT, HEALING BEGINS. Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. [11], Alfaro's testimony was corroborated by other witnesses including: Lolita Birrer, a former live-in partner of policeman Gerardo Biong, who narrated the manner of how Biong investigated and tried to cover up the crime. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. The Vizconde massacre has been dubbed as the trial of the century as the accused hailed from prominent families of the Philippines. Hopefully, if they will surface, public pressure will snowball and I will finally get the justice I am looking for, he said. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. [19], The Court of Appeals' Third Division voted 32 to deny Webb's motion for reconsideration and upheld the ruling of Judge Tolentino on December 16, 2005. [55], On June 28, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Hubert Webb was in the Philippines when the murders took place. [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]. 1. There was only one vital witness for the prosecution, Freddie Alejo. 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. 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. 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". Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? 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. No. Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. 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. VIZCONDE MASSACRE CASE: This case is about the gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman, the murder of her 7-year-old sister and their mother on June 30, 1991 at their home in Paranaque City, Metro Manila. Of the 15 Justices, 7 voted for acquittal while four dissented and four Justices, including Carpio, did not participate.[27][28]. 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. But her parents did not allow her to go. But to Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paranaque Regional Trial Court, the truth was the account of star witness Jessica Alfaro. The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. 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. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. Inconsistencies: In Vizconde case damages credibility, in Abadilla case does not. The Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com The story of the Vizconde Massacre wasn't just a single story; it varied as told by a number of witnesses. 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 CA held that these ballistic results are inconclusive and can never prevail over appellants positive identification by eyewitness Freddie Alejo. 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. He also ordered the Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima to study the possibility of giving compensation to Webb and others. [29], The court also held that the testimony of the Webb's maid, Mila Gaviola, was also unreliable since she was not able to distinguish if it was Hubert whom she saw on June 30, 1991, nor "did she remember any of the details that happened in the household on the other days". No. The Vizconde massacre revisited | ABS-CBN News We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. 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. That's all crap! Given the financial resources and political influence of his family, it was not unlikely that Webb could have traveled back to the Philippines before June 2930, 1991 and then departed for the US again, and returning to the Philippines in October 1992. Let the love of God prevail. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. But Villaramas opinion was not considered by the SC in their majority decision. 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. Aug 5, 2008. No. Alfaro had testified that she knew the suspects and was at the Vizconde house when the crime was committed. Pray to them. At the end of February, the Bureau of Fire Protection held a parade featuring some of its trucks and equipment as well as new regular personnel: women firefighters. 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". [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". The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. But big offenses, such as rape or attempted rape, should be filed with the police or the prosecutors office. All of us who have cases in court, dont we realize that if your opponent has money, brace yourself. 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. The trial began in August 1995 before Paraaque RTC Judge Amelita Tolentino. [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. 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. 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 . On Vizconde Massacre, Hubert Webb and the Quest for True Justice (1st This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. 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. They were sentenced to reclusion perpetua and ordered to indemnify the Vizconde family Php 3 million for the murders. Nos. [47], On December 28, 2010, new witnesses have come forward accusing Hubert Webb and others of allegedly being behind the Vizconde massacre. 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,. G.R. [53], Lauro Vizconde, family patriarch and the founding president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, died on February 13, 2016, at the age of 77. VIZCONDE MASSACRE: After 20 Years | GMA News Online 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 tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. 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. 176864. The President has time and again said that he was very tired of running the country and, if he had his way, would have stepped down. Jennifer woke up and, seeing Webb violating her sister, jumped on him and bit him. 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. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. [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. Anyone can be paid! February 26, 2021. . 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. Those initially jailed for. He alleged that he could not forget Webb because Biong had allegedly threatened him, Do not cheat him. Manila Times Special Report on the Vizconde Case, G.R. This site uses cookies. Acting solely on Alfaros testimony, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed charges of rape with homicide against the eight accused on August 1995. God would be stupid to borrow Digongs words if He gifts him the vice presidency the second time around. 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. 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. 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. Lauro Vizconde: "Is there still anyone among you who doubts that there is rampant corruption in our government? Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. [49], On January 4, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said suspect Joey Filart was spotted in the United States. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. ), 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. This policewoman is either ignorant of the law or plain lazy. [2] Two of the accused remain fugitives from the law: Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! - IMDb 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. However, keep in mind not to be vindictive. Vizconde Massacre Case - Pinoy Stories [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. [50], On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal because of double jeopardy. 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. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. 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. One of the justices, Roberto Abad, who dissented the majority decision affirming the guilty verdict wrote: the public prosecutor 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. On the acquittal of Lorenzo delos Santos, the accused whom Alejo had also positively identified, it ruled that his acquittal did not damage Alejos credibility; and his positive identification of the accused. Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. 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. [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. At any rate, Rameses de Jesus admitted that they were using the new car of Lenido Lumanog. 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. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. The case was featured on a Philippine TV show Case Unclosed as its ninth episode, "Vizconde Massacre Case. VIZCONDE MASSACRE CASE: This case is about the gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman, the murder of her 7-year-old sister and their mother on June 30, 1991 at their home in Paranaque City, Metro Manila. He adds, this Court takes judicial notice of reported irregularities and tampering of passports in the years prior to the recent issuance by the Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA) of machine-readable passports. According to Rivera, Sacaguing was never part of the NBI team assigned to investigate the Vizconde massacre and that his former colleague took Alfaro's statement in April 1995 without the presence of a lawyer. 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. No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. 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. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. Sign up now! Webb was the prime suspect of the infamous homicide that occurred on June 30, 1991. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said the government task force re-investigating the 1991 Vizconde massacre case has found another witness and was convincing him to come out in public and The prosecutors, the RTC and the CA have been made aware of this fact by the defence. Lejano and Ventura also took turns raping Carmela, before finishing her off with numerous stabs. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. After the shooting, he could have easily and quickly transferred to Camp Crame between 9:00 and 9:30 in the morning. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. ), 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. By providing an email address. The SC did not apply the two tests it invoked on the Vizconde case before accepting the positive identification of Alejo as credible, and him as a credible witness. 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. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! (1993) Ho Man Tin, Kowloon The fight is not over. al., 2010, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vizconde_murders&oldid=1138122178, Loss of DNA evidence not a ground for outright acquittal. No. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. 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. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. But Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who concurred with the decision, wrote strongly against basing judgement on conjectures: Facts decide cases. And while justice seems elusive, life must go on, Vizcondes grandniece Katherine Asuncion said, reading from a family statement. [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. 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. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. G.R. The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal
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