the truth about vizconde massacre

The Vizconde Massacre | Shows | discovery+ Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. The Vizconde Massacre. After the shooting, he could have easily and quickly transferred to Camp Crame between 9:00 and 9:30 in the morning. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial. "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 24, Rule 134, R. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. The Vizconde massacre has been dubbed as the trial of the century as the accused hailed from prominent families of the Philippines. 124871, May 13, 2004. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. 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. 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. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. 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. No. G.R. [48] Other witnesses say Webb was in the Philippines at the time of the murders. As a result, the court reverses the decision of the Court of Appeals, and acquits Webb, et al. [2] Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United States on business when the murders took place. 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. He said that he heard Hubert Webb quarreling with another young looking customer. Im still hoping for a miracle to happen. 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. No. 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. I did that hoping to make them have second thoughts about doing so,.There is no justice in the Philippines. I can't express enough how sad and unjust today's story. 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. Pinoy murders: The worst true crimes in the Philippines This has resulted in the revelation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that they no longer had the specimens as these were remanded to the Paraaque courts. 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. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. Hubert and his co-accused were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court for the crime on June 6, 2000. 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. [51] On March 18, Hubert Webb filed a lawsuit against Jessica Alfaro for false testimony at the Paraaque Prosecutor's Office. 150 likes. Pray to them. [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. But big offenses, such as rape or attempted rape, should be filed with the police or the prosecutors office. VIZCONDE MASSACRE: After 20 Years | GMA News Online No. 187745. al., 2010, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vizconde_murders&oldid=1138122178, Loss of DNA evidence not a ground for outright 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. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. The other defendants were Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. Alfaro, upon explaining on how the house was ransacked, (the Paraaque police had earlier blamed house robbers as suspects), said that Ventura was looking for the front-door key and the car key. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. February 26, 2021. . Police assets are often criminals themselves. Acting solely on Alfaros testimony, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed charges of rape with homicide against the eight accused on August 1995. Footnote: This article comprises the text of a statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, AHRC-STM-266-2010, dated 21 December 2010. September 7, 2010http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm vs. People of the Philippines et al., 1997, G.R. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. 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. [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. 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. . 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. Guillermo Lorenzo Guilor Eleazar, recently appointed chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), bows out on Nov. 13 this year when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. 'Hubert Webb was in PH during Vizconde massacre' - ABS-CBN News In open court, he already said there were six, not four assailants; that it was two other gunmen, not one of the four present close to the car who pointed the gun at him; and he was not nervous but rather had the opportunity to see the faces of all the assailants facing him all at the same time. Youd be surprised who the people are behind the call for his extension; some of them are top politicians. LIKE me to support Mr. Vizconde Massacre era | PEP.ph In the Philippines in 1992, the Vizconde Massacre, which saw the murder of multiple women who had been stabbed to death, created an investigation full of problems. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. The prosecutors, the RTC and the CA have been made aware of this fact by the defence. Movie producers and directors rode the wave of public outcry by creating true-to-life films based on such heinous crimes. Let the love of God prevail. The Villadolid brothers were mentioned by a certain Rhoda Pujanes alias Dang, who claimed she overheard Villadolid and his friends, including Miguel Rodriguez and Michael Gatchalian (both co-accused of Webb), talking about the massacre during a pot session in 1991. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison. He then hurled the little girl to a wall and started stabbing her. Estrellita, 47, had suffered thirteen stab wounds; Carmela, 18, had suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed; and Jennifer, 7, had nineteen stab . Remember that death is the ultimate equalizer. Sign up now! Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. The SC rendered its judgment on the Abadilla case on September 7 and on the Vizconde case on December 14 of this year [2010]. Jennifer woke up and, seeing Webb violating her sister, jumped on him and bit him. On January 4, 2000, the Regional Trial Court of Paranaque City rendered its judgement finding all the accused guilty as charged imposing a penalty of life imprisonment. 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. Please try again. They are Lenido Lumanog, Augusto Santos, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus and Joel de Jesus. 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. 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. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. 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. The trial of the case having been long concluded, the requirements of the law may have been satisfied, but not the demands of justice. [29], In his dissenting opinion, Justice Villarama argued that the claim of Webb that he could not have committed the crime because he left for the United States on March 9, 1991, and returned to the Philippines only on October 26, 1992, was correctly rejected by the Regional Trial Court and Court of Appeals. 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. In a 38-page strongly-worded decision promulgated on Tuesday, the . [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. Nos. The case was featured on a Philippine TV show Case Unclosed as its ninth episode, "Vizconde Massacre Case. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. "[29], The court held that security guard Normal E. White, Jr.'s testimony was unreliable. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. 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. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. 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. Secondly, Alfaros quality as a witness and her inconsistent, if not inherently unbelievable, testimony cannot be the positive identification that jurisprudence acknowledges as sufficient. 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. Asuncion, 27, was a constant playmate of Jennifer Vizconde, who was 7 years old when she was killed. 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. 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. She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. The defense questioned Alfaro's credibility noting that she admitted to being under the influence of drugs when she allegedly witnessed the crime and had made inconsistent statements on her two affidavits. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. [50], On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal because of double jeopardy. The Murder of an Entire Family While Dad Was Abroad for Work [9] They were acquitted by a trial judge in September 1993 for insufficient evidence.[9]. Originally, there were seven accused charged in this case. Tolentino also said, the photographs and videotapes purportedly showing Webb in the United States appeared to be tampered. A local elected official whos being groomed to run for a national office is being sold to the highest bidder by the politicians spouse. 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". 2. 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. When the accused appealed the decision, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the judgement of conviction by the RTC. But to Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paranaque Regional Trial Court, the truth was the account of star witness Jessica Alfaro. On the contrary, it reopens it. Webbs son, Hubert Jeffrey, is also the brother of a television host, Pinky, in one of the largest television networks in the country. Early Thursday, Lauro Vizconde went to Holy Cross Memorial Park and laid bouquets of roses on the tombs of his wife and daughters. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. I would not have ended up like this if you had not neglected me). By providing an email address. This column will tackle various topics on the days it will come out: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Webb's reliance on the presumption of regularity of official functions, stressing the fact that the US-INS certifications are official documents, is misplaced. Two of the accused have also been acquitted by the RTC on the basis of their defence of alibis. Inconsistencies: In Vizconde case damages credibility, in Abadilla case does not. SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness. Call 896 6000. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! (1993) - IMDb 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. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. [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 CA held that these ballistic results are inconclusive and can never prevail over appellants positive identification by eyewitness Freddie Alejo. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. You will regret it.[58][59] Jack, a village security guard who kept records of the village where Webb lived said he saw Hubert Webb during the time of the massacre. Massacre era. The NBI is the agency responsible in providing security and protection of witnesses admitted under WPP. Episode on July 5, 2011 Tuesday after Saksi! [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. [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. Villarama noted that the alleged Passport, Passenger Manifest of United Airlines Flight and United Airline ticket of accused Webb offered in evidence were mere photocopies of an alleged original, which were never presented. 4. Executive M/Sgt. 185123/G.R. Webbs co-accused, Antonio Lejano, is a son of a known singer and celebrity. Methinks one year would give Eleazar ample time impose his brand of discipline on one of the most undisciplined police forces in the world. The details of how they were killed were grim. G.R. MANILA, Philippines - A former policeman who was jailed for allegedly tampering with evidence in the 1991 Vizconde massacre insists he is innocent of any crime after being released from prison Tuesday. One of the important pieces of evidence, which I presented to the court later, was the copy of an invoice issued to Hubert Webb on coincidence of coincidences! 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. Even if we were denied justice, I consoled them that at least people already know what really happened, he said. 3. al, 1995, G.R. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission [56] According to De Lima, all the new witnesses passed the polygraph test. 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). 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. 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. No two persons have the same DNA fingerprint, with the exception of identical twins. Vizconde marks 20th year of murders: Time to move on Since I was introduced to The STAR readers in the front page, Ill hit the ground running. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. 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. Once again, the SCs applications of jurisprudence on the admissibility of forensic evidence in criminal trial have not been equally applied. [22], On October 8, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal. 'Ms. 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. Of the 15 Justices, 7 voted for acquittal while four dissented and four Justices, including Carpio, did not participate.[27][28]. May I invite you to watch?). The Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. [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 Vizconde massacre: Justice not served - BusinessMirror Alfaro also said that she bumped into Biong at the Faces Disco in Makati in March 1995 and relayed to her the offer of the group to give her a free ticket to the United States to shut her up. It is hard to believe this there is a record of supposed arrival from other country but no record of departure in 1991 or in any month of 1991, she said. 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 . Herbas and Alejo worked for the Abadillas as security guards. Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. 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. [29] Defence of Alibi: In Vizconde case not admissible, in Abadilla case court acted on conjectures. The Vizconde Massacre was the multiple homicide of members of the Vizconde family on June 30, 1991 at their residence in BF Homes, Paraaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. The court said that Alfaro was not a credible witness and that her "story of what she personally saw must be believable, not inherently contrived". The presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. [8] If, on examination, the DNA of the subject specimen does not belong to Webb, then he did not rape Carmela. 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. 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. The High Court put to question the quality of the testamentary evidence furnished by the witnesses. Alfaro, who had "practically lived" at the NBI's offices, would have been able to hear about the details, and gain access to the documents, without difficulty. Their original conviction was capital punishment but their sentence was modified to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished. When she could not produce the person, Sacaguing continued to press her saying that she might as well assume the role of her informant.. No. 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. 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. Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. 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. "[29], The court maintained that for a person to be convicted there should not be "a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt." 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. Ateneo law professor Alan Paguia: "The order of release is questionable as it appears to be undemocratic. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. Jennifer Diaz, chief of the women and childrens desk, told Allan to file the complaint with the barangay where they reside. Thus, her testimony could not be admitted. With Romeo Vasquez, Elizabeth Oropesa, Robert Arevalo, Tommy Abuel. I will kill you, brandishing a shiny revolver. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy. The unconstitutionality of prior restraint. Abadilla Case Petition for Review on Certiorario:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-FinalAppealPetition.pdf This coincided with his passport and Philippine Immigration records but were dismissed by Tolentino due to belief that these documents can possibly be falsified. [52] On June 14, 2011, Hubert Webb filed a P180,000 compensation claim for "unlawful conviction" for the Vizconde massacre. Vizconde massacre timeline | Philstar.com 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. 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. 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. Vizconde massacre. Based on my findings, I defended Hubert in my column and in my radio and TV programs. Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. Vizconde murders - Wikipedia Eh di sana may sweldo ako. MANILA, Philippines - Six new witnesses reveal Hubert Webb, son of former Senator Freddie Webb, was in the Philippines when the Vizconde massacre took place on June 1991. The case of the Vizconde Massacre took another direction only after four years, when Jessica Alfaro surfaced and became the case's star witness. It cautioned itself from accepting the testimonies of witnesses without applying these tests. Six months is not enough for him to clean up the Aegean stable that is the PNP. The lower courts, the Supreme Court said, held that "Webb was actually in Paraaque when the Vizconde killings took place". TV-14. Jubilation by the citizenry greeted the report of his appointment. 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. The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! [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. (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. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth - Facebook Includes gruesome real photos from the crime scene. Helen Hayes Whitney Fellowship, Little Girl Bikini Beach, Maria Teresa Chiquita'' Parke Smith, Articles T