[48] Other witnesses say Webb was in the Philippines at the time of the murders. [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. Alfaro accused Hubert Webb, son of former senator Freddie Webb, as the mastermind of the massacre, along with five other men, all coming from prominent families. The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) That's all crap! The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. The CA rather held that positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction which was affirmed by the SC. [25][26], On December 14, 2010, the Supreme Court reversed the earlier judgment of the lower court and Court of Appeals and acquitted seven of the nine accused, including Hubert Webb, finding that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused were guilty beyond reasonable doubt. 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. With Romeo Vasquez, Elizabeth Oropesa, Robert Arevalo, Tommy Abuel. This policewoman is either ignorant of the law or plain lazy. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. [9] They were acquitted by a trial judge in September 1993 for insufficient evidence.[9]. The Vizconde massacre, dubbed the crime of the 20th century, was my defining moment as a columnist and defender of the oppressed and those wrongfully accused. After 15 years behind bars, Hubert Webb and 5 others in the Vizconde massacre case (Manila-Philippines) were released from prison on Tuesday. 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. Alfaro said that when she went back to the house, she saw the bodies of Estrellita and Jennifer on the bed and Webb raping Carmela on the floor. 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. This column will tackle various topics on the days it will come out: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. December 14, 2010:http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/december2010/176389.htm She was the prosecutions worst possible choice for a witness. Hello friends! Call 896 6000. [29] [11], The defense produced documents and presented 95 witnesses, including Hubert Webb himself and his father, along with other relatives and friends to support Webb's alibi that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 26, 1992. 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". Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. ), 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. . [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". This was a case that was solved nine years after the murders and then unsolved 10 years later. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. True Crime. InAbadilla case: Both the RTC and the CA did not apply this test of credibility of a witness before accepting the testimony of Alejo. G.R. 808 bound for New York and who expressed doubt on whether Hubert Webb was his co-passenger in the trip; NBI medico-legal Dr. Prospero Cabanayan, Belen Dometita and Teofilo Minoza, two of the Vizconde maids; and Manciano Gatmaitan, an engineer. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. As to the failure to present the forensic evidence and its subsequent loss, the SC held: the semen specimen taken from Carmela cannot possibly lie. The prescription period does not matter to me, its just a date, he said. All rights are reserved. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. The 47-year-old Estrellita had 13 stab wounds. al., 2010, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vizconde_murders&oldid=1138122178, Loss of DNA evidence not a ground for outright acquittal. Once again, the SCs applications of jurisprudence on the admissibility of forensic evidence in criminal trial have not been equally applied. 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. 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. Copyright 2023. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. Among those present were former Vice President Teofisto Guingona; Arsenio Boy Evangelista, father of carjack victim Venson Evangelista; Dacer-Corbito witness Cezar Mancao and his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio; and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC). The SCs decision affirming the guilty verdict by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City on the Abadilla Five, the five men accused in the murder of police colonel Rolando Abadilla on June 13, 1996, is already the subject of a final appeal filed on October 8, 2010. But big offenses, such as rape or attempted rape, should be filed with the police or the prosecutors office. TRUTH OUT, HEALING BEGINS. No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. In rejecting the defence of the accused, the SC also affirmed the conjecture the CA had put forward as to the possibility that the accused could have been present or somewhere at the vicinity where the crime took place, as mentioned below: On Joel de Jesus, it was not impossible for him to have gone also Katipunan Avenue (from Quezon City where he was driving), which is also part of Quezon City, not to mention the fact that with his tricycle, he could have easily moved from one place to another; On Rameses de Jesus and Lenido Lumanog, their claims lack credence as they are unsupported by the testimonies of independent witnesses. "I doubt that at this time, physical evidence will be available because a lapse of time has taken place, but that's the only way we can find the true killers." Run after Alfaro 132577 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, 1999, G.R. [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. 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. The term dirty politics is appropriate for that kind of set-up. 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. Alfaro said Estrellita was killed before Webb began to rape Carmela. [60] Mario, a hair stylist during the period June 1991, testified that Webb, along with Tony Boy Lejano and Dong Ventura had their haircut. 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. The story of the Vizconde Massacre wasn't just a single story; it varied as told by a number of witnesses. 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. No. TV-14. Their claims were corroborated by witnesses who are disinterested parties, their relatives and friends and documentary evidence. Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Aug 5, 2008. 2. 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. 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. Nos. 5. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." I found this As of yesterday, police had arrested and filed criminal charges against six fraternity members suspected to have beaten to death John Matthew Salilig in a twisted concept ofbrotherhood. [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. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial. 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. . 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. 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. (P.S. [18], In her decision, Tolentino described the testimony of defense witnesses as full of inconsistencies and biased. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. [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. Originally, there were seven accused charged in this case. But Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who concurred with the decision, wrote strongly against basing judgement on conjectures: Facts decide cases. Pray to them. I can't express enough how sad and unjust today's story. So, some sectors are calling for Eleazars extension until after the May 2022 elections. 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. Webbs co-accused, Antonio Lejano, is a son of a known singer and celebrity. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! 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. 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. Their original conviction was capital punishment but their sentence was modified to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished. 3. 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." The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! 176864. Indeed, if the accused is truly innocent, he can have no other defense but denial and alibi. Sacaguing broke the guidelines in taking affidavits from witnesses. But in the Abadilla case, the relatives and friends are not an impartial witness to corroborate the defence of alibi of the accused. 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. He also claimed to have heard Hubert shout, Putang ina nyo! Three days after that, he was allegedly approached by Mrs. Webb who reportedly told him, You did not see anything. A week after, Sen. Freddie Webb allegedly told him, You did not see anything. (Update 6:47 p.m.) The Supreme Court (SC) has cast doubts on the credibility of Jessica Alfaro, the so-called star witness in the gruesome killings of three members of the Vizconde family almost two decades ago. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary. 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. 121234 Hubert Webb et al. 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. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. [12] On July 24, 1997, the Supreme Court noted that Tolentino erred when she refused to admit the 132 pieces of evidence presented by the defense, although these were later admitted in court through an order issued by Tolentino.[12][16]. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. The tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. She said the same MRT provided data that several Webbs arrived in the country, including Hubert, sometime in October 1992. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. She did not show up at the NBI as a spontaneous witness (only after four years) bothered by her conscience. Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. This is despite questions to his credibility for receiving money and enjoying privileges while he was in Abadillas custody and the existence of inconsistencies in his testimonies in open court. [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. Indeed, the testimony of a single witness, when positive and credible, is sufficient to support a conviction even for murder. 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. The jurisprudence mentioned above that the SC invoked has not been equally applied. Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde. No. At about 4 a.m. on June 30, 1991, Gaviola woke up and entered the bedrooms to get the Webb's dirty laundry and wash it as part of her job. 24, Rule 134, R. From there she allegedly saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts. 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. 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,. Your subscription could not be saved. [citation needed] (The Philippine Rules of Evidence require official attestation of the authenticity of any public document presented in evidence; as per Sec. The 3 sets of suspects are: the Barroso Akyat-Bahay gang; the group of construction workers with engineer Danilo Agwas tagged as mastermind; SPO3 Angel Viaje, PO3 Rodolfo Colado, Ruben Pineda; and, the group of Hubert Webb. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw the attention of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines to its recent decision on two well-known cases tried in the lower courts; the conviction in the Vizconde Massacre case was overturned while that of the Abadilla murder case was affirmed. 187745. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. [57] The witnesses include an electrician, a drug dealer, a couple of neighborhood basketball players, a hairdresser and a village security guard. 2. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. 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. References: You are just a few clicks away from making The CA in effect crafted and formulated the conjectures giving them the appreciation similar to facts offered as evidence where it had based the judgment. Like Herbas, court records had also shown that Alejo has been receiving money and free accommodation from the Abadillas. 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." Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. 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. God would be stupid to borrow Digongs words if He gifts him the vice presidency the second time around. The public and the media continue to watch as the years go by . 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. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. His intention was very, very dubious, he said. The fight is not over. 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. I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. 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. Anyone can be paid! Jubilation by the citizenry greeted the report of his appointment. 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. Inconsistencies: In Vizconde case damages credibility, in Abadilla case does not. The lower courts, the Supreme Court said, held that "Webb was actually in Paraaque when the Vizconde killings took place". Hubert and his co-accused were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court for the crime on June 6, 2000. 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. After reading about how responsive Secretary Benhur Abalos is to matters raised by the media, some members of the PNP, particularly in the province of Iloilo, have shared through channels about their operational Local producers wont like it, but it looks like in the near future, there will be a flood of imported agricultural commodities. A news report on Thursday in Business Mirror that headlined Senate grills defense brass on plans for EDCA expansion, sites raised much curiosity for its sheer lack of detailed information. 16:53. 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. 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. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf 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. No. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. 182555/G.R. 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. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. Envy aliens who can avoid PH; pity Pinoys who are stuck here. White was mistaken in saying that Gatchalian and company went in and out of the gated community many times, since they only entered once. In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . He and six others spent 15 years in jail. [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. She took advantage of her familiarity with these details to include in her testimony. Secondly, the SC affirmed the CAs assertion that Alejo was a credible witness ignoring the questions to his credibility by arguing that: positive and unequivocal declaration is sufficient to support a conviction for murder against appellants. It cautioned itself from accepting the testimonies of witnesses without applying these tests. Under the law, prosecutors of a murder case are given 20 years from the time it occurred or the time it was discovered to identify suspects and charge them in court. Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. She had been hanging around that agency for sometime as a stool pigeon, one paid for mixing up with criminals and squealing on them. I became a villain in the eyes of the citizenry that was crying for blood; but I was steadfast. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? He alleged that he could not forget Webb because Biong had allegedly threatened him, Do not cheat him.