Violent Vizconde Massacre | Crimes That Shocked Asia - YouTube Needless to say, were unpopular with the PNP and other government agencies that citizens transact business with. Indeed, the testimony of a single witness, when positive and credible, is sufficient to support a conviction even for murder. The Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com Vizconde murders - Wikipedia Vizconde should go after the national government. You are just a few clicks away from making No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. Webb was the prime suspect of the infamous homicide that occurred on June 30, 1991. But Villaramas opinion was not considered by the SC in their majority decision. 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. Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. 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. 1. [22], On October 8, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal. 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. Nos. 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. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. At any rate, Rameses de Jesus admitted that they were using the new car of Lenido Lumanog. 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. due to "overwhelming evidence that showed Webb and the other accused had conspired to rape Carmela and, in the process, kill her and the rest of the family." Kaya laban lang tayo. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. 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. However, keep in mind not to be vindictive. Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. The CA rather held that positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction which was affirmed by the SC. Former Paraaque policeman Gerardo Biong was found guilty as an accessory for burning bedsheets and tampering with other evidence in the crime. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. 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. Hello friends! No. He also claimed to have heard Hubert shout, Putang ina nyo! 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. 176864. It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. [58] George, a drug dealer, claimed he was introduced to Webb by former SPO1 Gerardo Biong sometime in April 1991 where the young Webb allegedly purchased from him 10grams of shabu worth P10,000. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. No. True Crime. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. It was Alejo who had positively identified Joel and Lorenzo (delos Santos) during a police line-up. Massacre era. Copyright 2023. The tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. 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. starring Kris Aquino as Carmela Vizconde. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. 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." Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. Similar to the accused in the Vizconde case, all the accused in the Abadilla case invoked their defence of alibi. 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. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. 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. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption(VACC) asked Justice Antonio Carpio and his cousin Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales to take a leave while the case is being decided to avoid undue influence on the court's decision. People vs. Bello, G.R. [12] (Under Philippine law, generally, alibi is the weakest defense, especially where there is direct testimony of an eyewitness, duly corroborated by another. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." 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. This site uses cookies. [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. 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. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. : Directed by Carlo J. Caparas. Based on my findings, I defended Hubert in my column and in my radio and TV programs. Another accused, Joey Filart also fled to the United States. X' key to real perpetrators of Vizconde murders? 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. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. Sulu in the eyes of my good friend Princess Jacel Kiram is a potential eco-tourism destination and fruit basket of the country. 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. Massacre era | PEP.ph That's all crap! Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. De Lima said they could still go after Filart and Ventura, as well as the Villadolid brothers, since the prescriptive period of 20 years for homicide does not apply to them because they were abroad. Episode on July 5, 2011 Tuesday after Saksi! The prosecutors, the RTC and the CA have been made aware of this fact by the defence. 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! Webbs co-accused, Antonio Lejano, is a son of a known singer and celebrity. Jennifer woke up and, seeing Webb violating her sister, jumped on him and bit him. LYN RILLON. The prescription period does not matter to me, its just a date, he said. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. No. 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. She was the prosecutions worst possible choice for a witness. 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. Conjectures and suspicions are not facts, hence, they have no evidentiary value. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. 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. 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. [2][3] Estrellita Vizconde, 49, suffered thirteen stab wounds; Carmela Vizconde, 19, suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed; and Anne Marie Jennifer, 6, had nineteen stab wounds. 'Ms. After 15 years behind bars, Hubert Webb and 5 others in the Vizconde massacre case (Manila-Philippines) were released from prison on Tuesday. The Vizconde massacre: Justice not served - BusinessMirror I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. Webb had presented the alibi that he was in the United States when the crime was committed, but he was still found guilty by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court. 5. But in the Abadilla case, the relatives and friends are not an impartial witness to corroborate the defence of alibi of the accused. The AHRC urges the SC to thoroughly review the pending final appeal of the accused in the Abadilla case. Footnote: This article comprises the text of a statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, AHRC-STM-266-2010, dated 21 December 2010. 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. [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". In this case, the existence of an earlier negative report on the NIIS record on file concerning the entry of appellant Webb into and his exit from the US on March 9, 1991, and October 26, 1992, respectively, had raised serious doubt on the veracity and accuracy of the subsequently issued second certification dated August 31, 1995 which is based merely on a computer print-out of his alleged entry on March 9, 1991, and departure on October 26, 1992. Evid. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. 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. Manila Times Special Report on the Vizconde Case, G.R. 127262 Hubert Webb, et al. Hopefully, if they will surface, public pressure will snowball and I will finally get the justice I am looking for, he said. 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 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. For almost two decades, Filipinos have been mystified by the brutal 1991 killing of a mother and her two daughters. Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. 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. Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. So, some sectors are calling for Eleazars extension until after the May 2022 elections. 182555/G.R. Vizconde massacre case: Back to square one | ABS-CBN News G.R. 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. [47], On December 28, 2010, new witnesses have come forward accusing Hubert Webb and others of allegedly being behind the Vizconde massacre. [10] According to the footage of the trial, Alfaro had been able to identify all the defendants by their names. [46], President Benigno Aquino III ordered the law enforcement agencies to re-investigate the case six months before the prescription period lapses. She did not know nor met any of them. [48] Other witnesses say Webb was in the Philippines at the time of the murders. It would be a serious miscarriage of justice and a demonstration of inequality before the law should jurisprudence not be applied equally. 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,. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. 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 unconstitutionality of prior restraint. LIKE me to support Mr. Vizconde This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . References: 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. [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. I expected this decision because since the start, I knew that Jessica Alfaro was not entirely telling the truth. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. 'Hubert Webb was in PH during Vizconde massacre' - ABS-CBN News 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. The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. 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. Ateneo law professor Alan Paguia: "The order of release is questionable as it appears to be undemocratic. They were sentenced to reclusion perpetua and ordered to indemnify the Vizconde family Php 3 million for the murders. After the Mass, VACC founding chair Dante Jimenez urged Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against the seven Supreme Court justices who either voted to acquit Webb and coaccused or abstained from voting last December. Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. 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. 1. The public and the media continue to watch as the years go by . [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. Alfaro said she was then having reservations when she first executed the first affidavit and held back vital information due to her natural reaction of mistrust. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial.
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