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. She observed Hubert was quite irritated, uneasy, and walked to and fro inside his room. Alfaro said Estrellita was killed before Webb began to rape Carmela. Movie producers and directors rode the wave of public outcry by creating true-to-life films based on such heinous crimes. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! - sirasa.dixiesewing.com [139] Against positive evidence, alibi becomes most unsatisfactory. It is that simple. 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. Episode on July 5, 2011 Tuesday after Saksi! InAbadilla case: The SC admitted the positive identification of witness Freddie Alejo when it considered him a credible witness. No. 121234 Hubert Webb et al. People vs. Bello, G.R. 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 . But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. 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. For those who havent heard aboutIsumbong, the public service program started at Radyo Veritas on June 1, 1991. Herbas and Alejo worked for the Abadillas as security guards. InVizconde case: The SC applied two tests in rejecting the positive identification of Alfaro: firstly, the credibility of a witness; secondly, the testimony should be believable, not inherently contrived. 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. The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. Still seeking justice for his family's grim fate, Lauro Vizconde exhausts all resources available to him. 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. [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. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? ), 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. Six months is not enough for him to clean up the Aegean stable that is the PNP. 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. Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. 4. 5. 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. The ballistic test results also did not match to any of the firearms supposedly taken from the accused to the empty shells that were recovered at the crime scene. The SC identified the inconsistencies and the incredible facts in Alfaros testimony: her claim that Hubert Jeffrey Webb and Carmela Vizconde had a relationship; that Carmela had another lover whom she met just before Hubert came to her home and that she saw in open the five other accused taking turns in raping Carmela. They were victims of gory murder; Carmela was raped before she was killed. G.R. Only minor cases, like oral defamation and quarrel between neighbors, are handled by the barangay. 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. 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. She cited the testimony of Alex del Toro, husband of Webb's relative, who said he hired Hubert Webb as an employee at his pesticide company in California. 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." 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. Both Webb and del Toro could not describe in court what Hubert's work was, Tolentino said. Alfaro testified that as Webb followed Carmela into the dining room, she decided to step outside for a smoke. New Vizconde massacre witness found | Inquirer News However, the court pointed out that while Webb or his parents may be able to "arrange for the local immigration to put a March 9, 1991 departure stamp on his passport and an October 27, 1992 arrival stamp", they could not fix a foreign airlines passenger manifest, and the U.S. Immigration's record system. Two of the accused have also been acquitted by the RTC on the basis of their defence of alibis. 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. Another accused, Joey Filart also fled to the United States. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. 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. Violent Vizconde Massacre | Crimes That Shocked Asia - YouTube Executive M/Sgt. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. LIKE me to support Mr. Vizconde Cabanacan said Webb had entered the subdivision (where the Vizconde house was located) a few days before the massacre and that he even identified himself as the son of then Congressman Webb. 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. This is a violation of the duty of state." But Custodio admits this may be easier said than done. It defended the attack on Alejos credibility, for example, his inconsistencies on the number of gunmen, arguing that this had already been explained by Alejo during cross-examination by correcting his earlier statement and that the affidavits, being ex-parte, are almost always incomplete and often inaccurate, but do not really detract from the credibility of witnesses. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . [18], In her decision, Tolentino described the testimony of defense witnesses as full of inconsistencies and biased. This site uses cookies. 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 case of the Vizconde Massacre took another direction only after four years, when Jessica Alfaro surfaced and became the case's star witness. 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. 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. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal 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. 2. Vizconde marks 20th year of murders: Time to move on Therefore, the SCs rejection of Villamaras opinion demonstrates a fundamental contradiction to its September 7 decision on the Abadilla case. [51] On March 18, Hubert Webb filed a lawsuit against Jessica Alfaro for false testimony at the Paraaque Prosecutor's Office. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. De Lima said it was possible that it was Black Maria who was in the Vizconde home and not Jessica Alfaro, the NBI's star witness during the trial. Carpio testified for the defense during the trial. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. Biong walks free, insists he's innocent | ABS-CBN News The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. Both the SC and the CA affirmed the RTCs sentence of guilty verdict without applying the test on the credibility of a witness as they did in Vizconde case. The Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com starring Kris Aquino as Carmela Vizconde. 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. [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 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". The Vizconde massacre revisited | ABS-CBN News Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. This column will tackle various topics on the days it will come out: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. February 26, 2021. . MANILA, Philippines - A former policeman who was jailed for allegedly tampering with evidence in the 1991 Vizconde massacre insists he is innocent of any crime after being released from prison Tuesday. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. I told my family that I did my best. On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. Vizconde Massacre Case - Pinoy Stories On Vizconde Massacre, Hubert Webb and the Quest for True Justice (1st When she could not produce the person, Sacaguing continued to press her saying that she might as well assume the role of her informant.. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. Cruz, Manila accompanying his brother-in-law, Jonas Padel Ayhon, whose wife had just given birth; and Rameses de Jesus and Lenido Lumanog had just left Manila for Mabalacat, Pampanga where they stayed until the evening of June 14. [2] Alfaro said that policeman Gerardo Biong "was instructed by Webb, in my presence, to take care of the house where the incident happened". [48] Other witnesses say Webb was in the Philippines at the time of the murders. [2][12] Security guards Justo Cabanacan and Normal White. 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. 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. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf Vizconde said his quest for justice was continuing despite the end of the prescription period for the prosecution of his familys killers. [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. Alejo had been under the Abadillas custody and protection instead of that of the WPP of the government. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. After she finished the laundry, she went to the servant's quarters. Im still hoping for a miracle to happen. [49], On January 4, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said suspect Joey Filart was spotted in the United States. [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. 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. [2] Two of the accused remain fugitives from the law: Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. Massacre era. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. 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. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. 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. The public and the media continue to watch as the years go by . But Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who concurred with the decision, wrote strongly against basing judgement on conjectures: Facts decide cases. 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. Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. But both the RTC and the CA rejected his defence ruling that his alibi cannot stand against Alfaros positive identification of him as the rapist and killer. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. 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. 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. 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. The details of how they were killed were grim. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories - Anchor White was mistaken in saying that Gatchalian and company went in and out of the gated community many times, since they only entered once. The Jessica Alfaro Story in 1995 was meanwhile focused on the star witness, portrayed by Alice Dixson. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. The Vizconde massacre has been dubbed as the trial of the century as the accused hailed from prominent families of the Philippines. Hubert Webb - Wikipedia 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. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. 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. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! For example, I was the first one to report the shooting of 16-year-old Maureen Hultman and her boyfriend by the son of former chief justice Claudio Teehankee in 1991 in my column at theInquirer, because the girls stepfather, Anders, a Swede, came to myIsumbongoffice at Radyo Veritas. I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine Senator, Freddie Webb; and six others from a wealthy family background similar to that of the accused. The CA rather held that positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction which was affirmed by the SC. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You will regret it.[58][59] Jack, a village security guard who kept records of the village where Webb lived said he saw Hubert Webb during the time of the massacre. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. Secondly, Alfaros quality as a witness and her inconsistent, if not inherently unbelievable, testimony cannot be the positive identification that jurisprudence acknowledges as sufficient. (P.S. Vizconde should go after the national government. Alejo confirmed these two (2) as the persons he saw from his guard post walking to and fro before the shooting incident. Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. Footnote: This article comprises the text of a statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, AHRC-STM-266-2010, dated 21 December 2010. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. The jurisprudence mentioned above that the SC invoked has not been equally applied. 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. The court also said that it was "possible for Alfaro to lie" on the details of the case. Hong Kong No. 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. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. Your subscription could not be saved. She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. 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". Thus, her testimony could not be admitted. [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. Equal protection of the law is fundamental in the countrys Constitution. Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. 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. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. 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. But her parents did not allow her to go. Hubert and his co-accused were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court for the crime on June 6, 2000.
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