Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. Make a difference. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. [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]. 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. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. 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. While washing Hubert Webb's clothing, Gaviola said she noticed fresh bloodstains on his shirt. This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. [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. Alfaro testified that as Webb followed Carmela into the dining room, she decided to step outside for a smoke. Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? 1. She said the same MRT provided data that several Webbs arrived in the country, including Hubert, sometime in October 1992. 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. [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. You are just a few clicks away from making 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. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. 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. 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. 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. Alejo confirmed these two (2) as the persons he saw from his guard post walking to and fro before the shooting incident. In rejecting questions to Alejos credibility, the SC affirmed the CAs ruling that the credible testimony of a lone witness(es) assumes more weight when there is no showing that he was actuated by improper motive to testify falsely against the accused, as in the case of Freddie Alejo. 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. Indeed, the testimony of a single witness, when positive and credible, is sufficient to support a conviction even for murder. 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. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. They were victims of gory murder; Carmela was raped before she was killed. May I invite you to watch?). I did that hoping to make them have second thoughts about doing so,.There is no justice in the Philippines. [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. [60] De Lima believed Dong Villadolid is the same person as Dong Ventura, one of the co-accused who fled to the US following the massacre. X' key to real perpetrators of Vizconde murders? ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. 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. 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. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. No. God does not teach us to retaliate. Episode on July 5, 2011 Tuesday after Saksi! 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. In a 38-page strongly-worded decision promulgated on Tuesday, the . By providing an email address. LYN RILLON. TV-14. [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. The case was featured on a Philippine TV show Case Unclosed as its ninth episode, "Vizconde Massacre Case. 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. 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. Justo Cabanacan, the security supervisor of the gated community, said that he saw Webb enter the gated community, although he did not record Webb entering in his log book. The court also said that it was "possible for Alfaro to lie" on the details of the case. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. The case of the Vizconde Massacre took another direction only after four years, when Jessica Alfaro surfaced and became the case's star witness. [54] He was laid to rest at Manila Memorial Park Sucat on February 17. While the SC rejected Alfaros testimony being not a credible witness, it held Alejo still a credible witness despite the inconsistencies in his testimony. The prosecutors, the RTC and the CA have been made aware of this fact by the defence. 5. By her account, after a drug session with the group, Webb allegedly had hatched his plan to rape Carmela Vizconde. 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. [49], On January 4, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said suspect Joey Filart was spotted in the United States. Early Thursday, Lauro Vizconde went to Holy Cross Memorial Park and laid bouquets of roses on the tombs of his wife and daughters. 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. 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. Eh di sana may sweldo ako. Lejano and Ventura also took turns raping Carmela, before finishing her off with numerous stabs. People vs. Bello, G.R. 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. 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. 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. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. Jubilation by the citizenry greeted the report of his appointment. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. 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. 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. We have ruled that accused-appellant may not invoke the acquittal of the other conspirators to merit the reversal of his conviction for murder. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. I went to the US to check on senator Webbs allegations I paid for my fare and accommodation, by the way and found that, indeed, Hubert was there when the Vizconde women were being butchered at their home in Paraaque. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. No. 132577 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, 1999, G.R. Hubert Jeffrey Webb sought for an acquittal after he had found out that the NBI could no longer produce the DNA specimen extracted from the cadaver of the rape victim. :Isumbongwill make a comeback on PTV-4 on June 12, 2021. It cannot be coached or allured by a promise of reward or financial support. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. vs. Raul de Leon et. 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 . InAbadilla case: The SC affirmed the CAs judgement as inconclusive the use of forensic evidence, for example, the fingerprints and ballistic test results, showing that none of the five accused had their fingerprints match to those extracted from the murder victims car. All of these had been applied in acquitting the accused in the Vizconde case, which is contradictory to its earlier decision affirming the conviction of the Abadilla Five. 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. [57] The witnesses include an electrician, a drug dealer, a couple of neighborhood basketball players, a hairdresser and a village security guard. TRUTH OUT, HEALING BEGINS. [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. Seven justices based its decision on the following points: Webb, citing Brady v. Maryland, said "that he is entitled to outright acquittal on the ground of violation of his right to due process given the States failure to produce on order of the Court either by negligence or willful suppression the semen specimen taken from Carmela." It is that simple. Vizconde said his quest for justice was continuing despite the end of the prescription period for the prosecution of his familys killers. I expected this decision because since the start, I knew that Jessica Alfaro was not entirely telling the truth. The details of how they were killed were grim. 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. On the contrary, it reopens it. Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. 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.

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