the truth about vizconde massacre the truth about vizconde massacre

Alejo had been under the Abadillas custody and protection instead of that of the WPP of the government. 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. 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. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. 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. 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. This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. Six months is not enough for him to clean up the Aegean stable that is the PNP. A second movie, The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II, was released in 1994. 3. 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! 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. G.R. Webb presented certifications from the U.S. Immigration but he failed to submit as evidence in court the original copy of his passport with immigration entry stamped on it. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf 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. The readers will notice soon enough the brevity of each topic. 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. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. Webb's reliance on the presumption of regularity of official functions, stressing the fact that the US-INS certifications are official documents, is misplaced. He and six others spent 15 years in jail. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. 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. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. 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. 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. Footnote: This article comprises the text of a statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, AHRC-STM-266-2010, dated 21 December 2010. Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. This is a violation of the duty of state." But Custodio admits this may be easier said than done. The prosecutors, the RTC and the CA have been made aware of this fact by the defence. 182555/G.R. 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. The court argued that the cited case has been superseded by Arizona v. Youngblood, "where the U.S. Supreme Court held that due process does not require the State to preserve the semen specimen although it might be useful to the accused unless the latter is able to show bad faith on the part of the prosecution or the police". 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. Those initially jailed for. 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. 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. 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. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! :Isumbongwill make a comeback on PTV-4 on June 12, 2021. [52] On June 14, 2011, Hubert Webb filed a P180,000 compensation claim for "unlawful conviction" for the Vizconde massacre. Alfaro claimed that Hubert was angry at Carmela thus raping and murdering her, her younger sister and her mother, to supposedly revenge her unfaithfulness to him. 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. 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. G/F, 52 Princess Margaret Road But her parents did not allow her to go. The SC rendered its judgment on the Abadilla case on September 7 and on the Vizconde case on December 14 of this year [2010]. [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 most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. As a result, the court reverses the decision of the Court of Appeals, and acquits Webb, et al. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. 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. 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. 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. He alleged that Webb bought illegal drugs from him on two other occasions in May 1991. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. [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. 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. 5. [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. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. Based on my findings, I defended Hubert in my column and in my radio and TV programs. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy. She also said that Bing was accosting Ging Rodriguez on why he had to stab and kill a young girl. He said that he heard Hubert Webb quarreling with another young looking customer. 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. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. [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. 'Ms. The Villadolid brothers were mentioned by a certain Rhoda Pujanes alias Dang, who claimed she overheard Villadolid and his friends, including Miguel Rodriguez and Michael Gatchalian (both co-accused of Webb), talking about the massacre during a pot session in 1991. References: The passing away of Lauro Vizconde a few days ago does not close the sad chapter on the tragedy known as the Vizconde massacre. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. She observed Hubert was quite irritated, uneasy, and walked to and fro inside his room. al, 1995, G.R. True Crime. 176864. It is time to heal the past. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. 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. Sources from the Department of Justice said Webb, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court last December, 2010, was in the country during and after the crime happened in . 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. 124871, May 13, 2004. Lauro Vizconde on Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the murders of his wife and two daughters at his residence in BF Homes, Paraaque City. I stand by my story. 3. Vizconde said his quest for justice was continuing despite the end of the prescription period for the prosecution of his familys killers. 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. Your subscription could not be saved. She was the prosecutions worst possible choice for a witness. Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. 185123/G.R. Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. For example, it rejected as not impartial the corroborating testimony of Augusto Santoss brother-in-law that he was at the hospital with him when Abadilla was murdered. LIKE me to support Mr. Vizconde By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. While washing Hubert Webb's clothing, Gaviola said she noticed fresh bloodstains on his shirt. ), 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. December 14, 2010:http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/december2010/176389.htm VIZCONDE MASSACRE: 20 YEARS, TWO FACES OF JUSTICE Report by Maki Pulido It is one of the most controversial cases in the country's history, the most shocking crime in the 90s - the Vizconde Massacre. [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. Similar to the accused in the Vizconde case, all the accused in the Abadilla case invoked their defence of alibi. 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. The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. Hong Kong 1. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. [55], On June 28, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Hubert Webb was in the Philippines when the murders took place. Defence of Alibi: In Vizconde case not admissible, in Abadilla case court acted on conjectures. Firstly, in the Vizconde case, the SC still held as credible the corroborating testimonies of the witnesses favouring Hubert Jeffrey who are mostly his relatives and friends in support of his defence of alibi. De Lima also said seven new witnesses claimed they saw Webb in the country during the months of April, May and June 1991. The Vizconde Massacre. She said that when she entered Hubert's room, she saw him wearing only his pants, awake and smoking in bed. No. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. No. The details of how they were killed were grim. Asuncion, 27, was a constant playmate of Jennifer Vizconde, who was 7 years old when she was killed. [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. She took advantage of her familiarity with these details to include in her testimony.