the truth about vizconde massacre

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. No. 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. 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. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. But big offenses, such as rape or attempted rape, should be filed with the police or the prosecutors office. 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. [10] According to the footage of the trial, Alfaro had been able to identify all the defendants by their names. 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. De Lima also said seven new witnesses claimed they saw Webb in the country during the months of April, May and June 1991. I did that hoping to make them have second thoughts about doing so,.There is no justice in the Philippines. 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. It is time to heal the past. 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. Vizconde massacre case: Back to square one | ABS-CBN News They are Lenido Lumanog, Augusto Santos, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus and Joel de Jesus. 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. In their alibis, Joel de Jesus claimed he was driving his passenger tricycle in Fairview, Quezon City the whole day; for SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, he was at Camp Crame (headquarters of the Philippine National Police, PNP) for official business and his presence was also corroborated by two police officials whom he had transacted business with; for Augusto Santos, he was at the Jose Fabella Hospital in Sta. Equal protection of the law is fundamental in the countrys Constitution. The Murder of an Entire Family While Dad Was Abroad for Work There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. [24] This was categorically denied by the Supreme Court as Justice Carpio had in fact recused himself from the case and was not going to take part in the deliberation. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! 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. 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. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. [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. Knowing this, I cannot but hesitate to swallow everything that Alejo said at the trial. 1. As a host of the program that carries my surname, I and my all-female staff have handled complaints from citizens, concerning abusive or arrogant policemen and other government functionaries. TV-14. [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. 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. Sison was ordered to desist from further investigating that angle by then Philippine National Police Capital Region Commander Marino Filart after six members of akyat bahay gang (burglars) were arrested by Regional Police Unit in October 1991. I incurred the ire of the citizenry, including some of my fellow columnists in theInquirer,for my defense of Hubert. 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. X' key to real perpetrators of Vizconde murders? 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." [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. Corona." The NBI is a special investigating body attached to the DoJ. 176864. 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. No. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. This is a violation of the duty of state." But Custodio admits this may be easier said than done. But her parents did not allow her to go. October 1, 1996 Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paraaque RTC rejected 132 of the defense's 142 pieces of evidence. On SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, the RTC, the CA and the SC, accepted the fact that he was at Camp Crame, but the SC affirmed the RTC and the CAs conjecture that it was not impossible for him to have gone to Katipunan road, Blue Ridge, which is relatively near Camp Crame when the shooting happened around 8.40 in the morning. To find out more, please click this link. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. God would be stupid to borrow Digongs words if He gifts him the vice presidency the second time around. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. 176389 / G.R. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. No. Appendix: Case analysis: Supreme Court's rulings on Vizconde and The story of the Vizconde Massacre wasn't just a single story; it varied as told by a number of witnesses. [165] The discrepancies between a sworn statement and testimony in court do not outrightly justify the acquittal of an accused,[166] as testimonial evidence carries more weight than an affidavit. Eighteen-year-old daughter Carmela was raped, and had 17 stab wounds. 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. 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 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. [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. [17], On January 6, 2000, Judge Tolentino rendered her decision, finding Hubert Webb, Peter Estrada, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Antonio Lejano II and Miguel Rodriguez guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide. Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. Ho Man Tin, Kowloon She took advantage of her familiarity with these details to include in her testimony. Copyright 2023. Like Herbas, court records had also shown that Alejo has been receiving money and free accommodation from the Abadillas. It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! [22], On October 8, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal. The court also amended the award of damages from 100,000 pesos to 200,000 pesos, and also upheld the conviction of Biong as accessory to the crime "by abusing his public functions to conceal and destroy the physical evidence in order to prevent the discovery of the crime and by allowing the destruction of the physical evidence, Biong facilitated the escape of the principal accused. [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. However, keep in mind not to be vindictive. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. 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. Vizconde Massacre | FreebookSummary 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 Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. Webbs co-accused, Antonio Lejano, is a son of a known singer and celebrity. Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. 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. No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large.

Brian O'neill Councilman, Is The Byrna Hd Legal In Michigan, Staccato Lead In Feature Writing, How Long After Patella Surgery Can I Walk, Articles T