The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal The massacre and surrounding events were depicted in the 1993 film The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!) [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. LIKE me to support Mr. Vizconde No. Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. Ho Man Tin, Kowloon The fight is not over. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. It was hard to tell which made up the truth and the lies. Remember when I made the disclosure that someone is pressuring the justices to vote for a reversal? Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene.
The Vizconde massacre revisited | ABS-CBN News 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. 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.
Violent Vizconde Massacre | Crimes That Shocked Asia - YouTube Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. TV-14. [53], Lauro Vizconde, family patriarch and the founding president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, died on February 13, 2016, at the age of 77. 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. [61], The findings also point to another set of suspects, namely Dong Villadolid and his brother Bing. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. 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. G.R. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. It is that simple. Tolentino also found it hard to believe that Webb was working with a pesticide company because he was asthmatic and allergic to various substances. 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.
VIZCONDE MASSACRE: After 20 Years | GMA News Online With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Lauro Vizconde on Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the murders of his wife and two daughters at his residence in BF Homes, Paraaque City. Powered by, Appendix: Case analysis: Supreme Courts rulings on Vizconde and Abadilla cases are contradictory, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/december2010/176389.htm, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm, http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf, http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. 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. 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 . 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. I will continue to play that role as long as I live. 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. Please try again. All rights are reserved. Credibility of a witness: In Vizconde case not credible, but credible in the Abadilla case. The court argued that the cited case has been superseded by Arizona v. Youngblood, "where the U.S. Supreme Court held that due process does not require the State to preserve the semen specimen although it might be useful to the accused unless the latter is able to show bad faith on the part of the prosecution or the police". The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! Therefore, the applications of the SC on evaluating the defence of alibi of the accused have not been equally applied in these two cases. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. De Lima said the evidence that showed Webb and any of the co-accused were in the country came from the magnetic reel tape (MRT) of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) where all records of incoming and outgoing passengers from the Philippines are recorded.
Vizconde Massacre Case Digest - Philippine True Crime Stories - Anchor This coincided with his passport and Philippine Immigration records but were dismissed by Tolentino due to belief that these documents can possibly be falsified. 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. LYN RILLON. [22], On October 8, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal. 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 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". The film claims to have been based on new evidence from the then-ongoing trial. For example, I was the first one to report the shooting of 16-year-old Maureen Hultman and her boyfriend by the son of former chief justice Claudio Teehankee in 1991 in my column at theInquirer, because the girls stepfather, Anders, a Swede, came to myIsumbongoffice at Radyo Veritas. On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. No. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary. This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 03:37. Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace.
Vizconde marks 20th year of murders: Time to move on Like Herbas, court records had also shown that Alejo has been receiving money and free accommodation from the Abadillas. 121234 Hubert Webb et al. 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". I told my family that I did my best. 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. [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. 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. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. 4. October 1, 1996 Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paraaque RTC rejected 132 of the defense's 142 pieces of evidence. Rodolfo Sison, the police investigator originally assigned to the case in 1991. [52] On June 14, 2011, Hubert Webb filed a P180,000 compensation claim for "unlawful conviction" for the Vizconde massacre. 1. She added that suspect Miguel Rodriguez warned her to "shut up or you're gonna get killed" in the same disco on April 8, 1995, prompting her to voluntarily submit herself to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for protection. 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. 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.
The Vizconde Massacre | Shows | discovery+ 176389 / G.R. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . Webb's reliance on the presumption of regularity of official functions, stressing the fact that the US-INS certifications are official documents, is misplaced. His intention was very, very dubious, he said. Webb was the prime suspect of the infamous homicide that occurred on June 30, 1991. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Vizconde said he was optimistic about finding more witnesses.. 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. On the acquittal of Lorenzo delos Santos, the accused whom Alejo had also positively identified, it ruled that his acquittal did not damage Alejos credibility; and his positive identification of the accused. After the shooting, he could have easily and quickly transferred to Camp Crame between 9:00 and 9:30 in the morning. The NBI is the agency responsible in providing security and protection of witnesses admitted under WPP. 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. "[29] In general, the court said that Alfaro's story "lacks sense or suffers from inherent inconsistencies. 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. From there she allegedly saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts. In a 38-page strongly-worded decision promulgated on Tuesday, the . Knowing this, I cannot but hesitate to swallow everything that Alejo said at the trial. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. A local elected official whos being groomed to run for a national office is being sold to the highest bidder by the politicians spouse. Based on the infamous and seemingly never ending 1991 Vizconde murder case in the Philippines where a woman and her two children; a teen daughter who was also raped and a 6-year-old, were all viciously stabbed to death while the husband was away in America on business. [2] Alfaro said that policeman Gerardo Biong "was instructed by Webb, in my presence, to take care of the house where the incident happened". In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . The jurisprudence mentioned above that the SC invoked has not been equally applied.
Massacre era | PEP.ph I expected this decision because since the start, I knew that Jessica Alfaro was not entirely telling the truth. . The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. 'Ms. : Directed by Carlo J. Caparas. The prescription period does not matter to me, its just a date, he said. 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. On June 30, 1991, Estrellita Vizconde and her two daughters: Carmela and Jennifer, were found lifeless inside their home in Paraaque. Kung di ninyo ako pinabayaan, 'di ako magkakaganito. (Fuck you all! But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. 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 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. 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. The Truth about Mendiola Massacre - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. It cannot be coached or allured by a promise of reward or financial support. People vs. Bello, G.R. Their original conviction was capital punishment but their sentence was modified to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished. But I could not work there), Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman. Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. Her mother, Estrellita, 47, and sister, Jennifer, 7, were also killed. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. Lorenzo delos Santos was acquitted due to lack of evidence, but the RTC, the CA and the SC ignored that fact that the same positive identification it invoked in convicting the Abadilla Five came from exactly the same testimonies that have been used to acquit Delos Santos. Suspicions, no matter how strong they are, must never sway judgment. Similar to the accused in the Vizconde case, all the accused in the Abadilla case invoked their defence of alibi. Massacre case in 1991 Webb was accused of raping Carmela Vizconde, 18, who was killed in her family's Paraaque home on June 30, 1991. 1. [51] On March 18, Hubert Webb filed a lawsuit against Jessica Alfaro for false testimony at the Paraaque Prosecutor's Office. Birrer said she had accompanied Biong to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb's jacket and the murder weapon. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. The tapes were restored by IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. 2. 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. Let the love of God prevail. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. Hong Kong The case of the Vizconde Massacre took another direction only after four years, when Jessica Alfaro surfaced and became the case's star witness. Still seeking justice for his family's grim fate, Lauro Vizconde exhausts all resources available to him. [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. [47], On December 28, 2010, new witnesses have come forward accusing Hubert Webb and others of allegedly being behind the Vizconde massacre. On August 11, 1999, the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City acquitted two of them and convicted the five others, now collectively known as the Abadilla Five. When she could not produce the person, Sacaguing continued to press her saying that she might as well assume the role of her informant.. The 47-year-old Estrellita had 13 stab wounds. 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. A lying witness can make as positive an identification as a truthful witness can. The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. 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. They are Lenido Lumanog, Augusto Santos, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus and Joel de Jesus. She said the same MRT provided data that several Webbs arrived in the country, including Hubert, sometime in October 1992. 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. 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. . 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. God does not teach us to retaliate. [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. Evid. 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. Methinks one year would give Eleazar ample time impose his brand of discipline on one of the most undisciplined police forces in the world. Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. [55], On June 28, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Hubert Webb was in the Philippines when the murders took place. Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. 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. 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.