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. In open court, he already said there were six, not four assailants; that it was two other gunmen, not one of the four present close to the car who pointed the gun at him; and he was not nervous but rather had the opportunity to see the faces of all the assailants facing him all at the same time. Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. vs. Raul de Leon et. God does not teach us to retaliate. Justice Villarama argued that a photocopy of Webbs passport in court to support his alibi and the testimonies of witnesses, mostly his relatives and friends, could not be given merit, by cautioning his fellow justices that it can be gleaned from the fact that passports and plane tickets indicating dates of arrival and departure do not necessarily prove that the very same person actually took the flight and added that indeed, alibi cannot be sustained where it is not only without credible corroboration, but also where it does not, on its face, demonstrate the physical impossibility of the accuseds presence at the place and time of the commission of the crime. The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! References: From there she allegedly saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts. . 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. He said that he heard Hubert Webb quarreling with another young looking customer. Envy aliens who can avoid PH; pity Pinoys who are stuck here. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. Anyone can be paid! 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. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. 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. White was mistaken in saying that Gatchalian and company went in and out of the gated community many times, since they only entered once. [50], On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal because of double jeopardy. Acting solely on Alfaros testimony, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed charges of rape with homicide against the eight accused on August 1995. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. The film claims to have been based on new evidence from the then-ongoing trial. 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 Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com Alfaro said Estrellita was killed before Webb began to rape Carmela. Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. Six months is not enough for him to clean up the Aegean stable that is the PNP. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. 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. Sulu in the eyes of my good friend Princess Jacel Kiram is a potential eco-tourism destination and fruit basket of the country. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. 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." Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. Both Webb and del Toro could not describe in court what Hubert's work was, Tolentino said. 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. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. 132577 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, 1999, G.R. 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. Herbas and Alejo worked for the Abadillas as security guards. Tolentino also found it hard to believe that Webb was working with a pesticide company because he was asthmatic and allergic to various substances. Aug 5, 2008. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. My program is the originalsumbungan ng bayan sa radyo(roughly, citizens complaint center on radio). 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. . 182555/G.R. Rodolfo Sison, the police investigator originally assigned to the case in 1991. The case was featured on a Philippine TV show Case Unclosed as its ninth episode, "Vizconde Massacre Case. It is that simple. 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. 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. Nos. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. (1994) Details Release date June 24, 1993 (Philippines) Country of origin Philippines Languages English Filipino Tagalog Filming locations Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. 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 that, contrary to his alibi, released murder convict Hubert Webb never left the country. 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. The readers will notice soon enough the brevity of each topic. 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. 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. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial. Episode on July 5, 2011 Tuesday after Saksi! 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. The lower courts, however, reasoned that "Webb's alibi cannot stand against Alfaro's positive identification of him." All rights are reserved. Alibi cannot prevail over the positive identification of a credible witness [140].. The SC, however, held that by failing to prove the existence of a relationship between Hubert and Carmela; and that the lover that Alfaro claimed that Carmela had met did not come forward in public or in court, her testimonies about the accused and the victims were like a piece of jigsaw puzzle trimmed to fit into the shape on the board but does not belong because it clashes with the surrounding pieces and the lover was a mere ghost of the imagination of Alfaro, the woman who made a living informing on criminals. But her parents did not allow her to go. 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. 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. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. 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. Biong walks free, insists he's innocent | ABS-CBN News His intention was very, very dubious, he said. 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. [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. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. She also testified that Biong received money at a house that she later learned belonged to then Paraaque Congressman Freddie Webb; the Webb family's maids, Mila Gaviola and Nerissa Rosales, who both testified that Hubert Webb was at home on June 30, 1991. 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. The women were found dead with multiple stab wounds and no witnesses, murder weapons or motive have been uncovered. 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 . It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. 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. SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness. Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. 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. The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? May I invite you to watch?). 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. [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. 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. Ateneo law professor Alan Paguia: "The order of release is questionable as it appears to be undemocratic. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. 2. 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. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! Vizconde massacre timeline | Philstar.com 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. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. Her mother, Estrellita, 47, and sister, Jennifer, 7, were also killed. Vizconde massacre. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. Jubilation by the citizenry greeted the report of his appointment. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf It was also not true that there was no showing that he (Alejo) was actuated by improper motive to testify falsely against the accused because the defence had since been challenging his credibility during the trial. 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. Lejano and Ventura also took turns raping Carmela, before finishing her off with numerous stabs. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace.
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