A local elected official whos being groomed to run for a national office is being sold to the highest bidder by the politicians spouse. Hence, it was not physically impossible for them to travel to Quezon City via the North Expressway at the time the crime took place; On Augusto Santos, the corroboration of his brother-in-law, Jonas Padel Ayhon, that he was at the Jose Fabella Hospital when the crime happened, the CA rejected his corroboration because he was not an impartial witness and ruled that where nothing supports the alibi than the testimony of a relative, it deserves scant consideration. Yes, but what can I do (?). Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. But Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who concurred with the decision, wrote strongly against basing judgement on conjectures: Facts decide cases. 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. It is that simple. 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. He and six others spent 15 years in jail. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf Inconsistencies: In Vizconde case damages credibility, in Abadilla case does not. 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. No. The court considered the accused's "lack of interest in having such test done" in which they concluded that the state "cannot be deemed put on reasonable notice that it would be required to produce the semen specimen at some future time".[29]. In a 38-page strongly-worded decision promulgated on Tuesday, the . LYN RILLON. Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. Still seeking justice for his family's grim fate, Lauro Vizconde exhausts all resources available to him. Their claims were corroborated by witnesses who are disinterested parties, their relatives and friends and documentary evidence. Aug 5, 2008. By her account, after a drug session with the group, Webb allegedly had hatched his plan to rape Carmela Vizconde. 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. She also said that Bing was accosting Ging Rodriguez on why he had to stab and kill a young girl. 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. She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. 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. Her mother, Estrellita, 47, and sister, Jennifer, 7, were also killed. Like Herbas, court records had also shown that Alejo has been receiving money and free accommodation from the Abadillas. Like the accused in the Vizconde case and for any other cases for that matter, the accused in the Abadilla murder case also deserve equal protection of the law. She said the US-based defense witnesses, most of whom are relatives or friends of the Webb family suffered from "incorrigible and selective memory syndrome". No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. September 7, 2010http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm 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. He also ordered the Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima to study the possibility of giving compensation to Webb and others. 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. On April this year, the Webbs filed an urgent motion to acquit when they found out that the NBI no longer has custody of the specimen that was taken from the body of the rape victim, Carmela Visconde. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. [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. 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. Hello friends! Webbs co-accused, Antonio Lejano, is a son of a known singer and celebrity. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. A second movie, The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II, was released in 1994. God would be stupid to borrow Digongs words if He gifts him the vice presidency the second time around. They cannot be the bases of conviction as they cannot substitute for the constitutional requirement of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. 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. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. [51] On March 18, Hubert Webb filed a lawsuit against Jessica Alfaro for false testimony at the Paraaque Prosecutor's Office. Alibi cannot prevail over the positive identification of a credible witness [140].. 1. Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde. Pitong, an electrician who since 1982, already knew the Webb family claimed he saw a laundry woman wash a bloodied T-shirt on the morning of the crime. On the contrary, it reopens it. 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. Like Alejo, Herbas also at first instance identified Joel de Jesus as one of the gunmen during a police line-up but later withdraw his statement in open court. No. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said the government task force re-investigating the 1991 Vizconde massacre case has found another witness and was convincing him to come out in public and Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. Eleazar, a strict disciplinarian, is probably the only PNP chief who is loved and respected by the citizenry. [30], In three separate occasions, police authorities mistakenly arrested persons they believed to be suspect Joey Filart: a namesake in August 1995, the same person again in February 2000, and a person from Compostela Valley in March 2000. The film claims to have been based on new evidence from the then-ongoing trial. 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. All rights are reserved. 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. 150 likes. You are just a few clicks away from making The NBI is a special investigating body attached to the DoJ. [12] (Under Philippine law, generally, alibi is the weakest defense, especially where there is direct testimony of an eyewitness, duly corroborated by another. 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 RTC, however, acquitted Delos Santos despite being positively identified also by Alejo as one of those who was present at the crime scene. 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. White, on the other hand, said he saw the three cars enter the subdivision on the night of June 29, as Alfaro had testified; White also testified that policeman Gerardo Biong was the first to arrive at the crime scene. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy. [6], Alfaro's testimony coincided with the angle that was being explored by Supt. October 1, 1996 Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paraaque RTC rejected 132 of the defense's 142 pieces of evidence. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Defence of Alibi: In Vizconde case not admissible, in Abadilla case court acted on conjectures. 127262 Hubert Webb, et al. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. 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. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial. (1994) Details Release date June 24, 1993 (Philippines) Country of origin Philippines Languages English Filipino Tagalog Filming locations [61], The findings also point to another set of suspects, namely Dong Villadolid and his brother Bing. 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 SC rendered its judgment on the Abadilla case on September 7 and on the Vizconde case on December 14 of this year [2010]. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. 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. Pray to them. The AHRC is deeply concerned by the contradiction in the application of jurisprudence by the SC in these cases, particularly its ruling on positive identification, the credibility of witness and its appreciation of forensic evidence. InAbadilla case: The SC admitted the positive identification of witness Freddie Alejo when it considered him a credible witness. 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. 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. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. No. 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. 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. 5. vs. Raul de Leon et. 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. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! I got involved in the case after Webb told me Hubert, whose name was slowly cropping up in news reports as a prime suspect, was in the United States when the dastardly crime happened. 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. For almost two decades, Filipinos have been mystified by the brutal 1991 killing of a mother and her two daughters. Nos. For those who havent heard aboutIsumbong, the public service program started at Radyo Veritas on June 1, 1991. 124871, May 13, 2004. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. On April 28, 1995, National Bureau of Investigations asset and self-confessed drug user Jessica Alfaro came forward to police authorities to shed light on the killing of the Vizconde family. I got my style of writing when I was a reporter, news writer and newsreader on radio during the pre-martial law era, and as a deskman and feature writer of the Philippines News Agency (PNA). "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. This policewoman is either ignorant of the law or plain lazy. A lying witness can make as positive an identification as a truthful witness can. 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. But in the Abadilla case, the relatives and friends are not an impartial witness to corroborate the defence of alibi of the accused. On the night of June 29, 1991, Asuncion was supposed to have a sleepover with Jennifer at the latters home in Paraaque City. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb.
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