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. InAbadilla case: The SC admitted the positive identification of witness Freddie Alejo when it considered him a credible witness. Vizconde said his quest for justice was continuing despite the end of the prescription period for the prosecution of his familys killers. 124871, May 13, 2004. 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! They cannot be the bases of conviction as they cannot substitute for the constitutional requirement of proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Tel: +(852) 2698 6339 [2][12] Security guards Justo Cabanacan and Normal White. It took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. Another accused, Joey Filart also fled to the United States. They were victims of gory murder; Carmela was raped before she was killed. Conjectures and suspicions are not facts, hence, they have no evidentiary value. A second movie, The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II May The Lord Be With Us, was released in 1994 and starred Vina Morales as Carmela and Joko Daz as an assailant. In the Vizconde case, the SC does not accept conjecture as the basis of its decision. "[29] In general, the court said that Alfaro's story "lacks sense or suffers from inherent inconsistencies. I was a barbarian in my college years at the University of the Philippines. After 15 years behind bars, Hubert Webb and 5 others in the Vizconde massacre case (Manila-Philippines) were released from prison on Tuesday. 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. She had been hanging around that agency for sometime as a stool pigeon, one paid for mixing up with criminals and squealing on them. Methinks one year would give Eleazar ample time impose his brand of discipline on one of the most undisciplined police forces in the world. By her account, after a drug session with the group, Webb allegedly had hatched his plan to rape Carmela Vizconde. According to Rivera, Sacaguing was never part of the NBI team assigned to investigate the Vizconde massacre and that his former colleague took Alfaro's statement in April 1995 without the presence of a lawyer. This is one of the most controversial and widely publicised massacre cases because of the involvement of the son of a former Philippine . The Vizconde massacre, dubbed the crime of the 20th century, was my defining moment as a columnist and defender of the oppressed and those. God does not teach us to retaliate. As already mentioned, the SC concluded Alfaro to be not a credible witness because she did not meet these two criteria. Webb's reliance on the presumption of regularity of official functions, stressing the fact that the US-INS certifications are official documents, is misplaced. Webb was among the nine people convicted by Paranaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Amelita Tolentino in January 2000 for the killings. Night of June 2930, 1991 Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde were killed in their Paraaque home; Carmela was found to have been raped. 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. Webb wanted Alfaro, the then-girlfriend of one of the accused men, Peter Estrada, to join them because Estrellita Vizconde only allowed her daughter to go out and entertain female visitors. Alfaro had testified that she knew the suspects and was at the Vizconde house when the crime was committed. 132577 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, 1999, G.R. Still seeking justice for his family's grim fate, Lauro Vizconde exhausts all resources available to him. 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. Please try again. 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. On the night of June 29, 1991, Asuncion was supposed to have a sleepover with Jennifer at the latters home in Paraaque City. Besides the horror itself, the suspected perpetrators included high-society figures. But in the Abadilla case, the relatives and friends are not an impartial witness to corroborate the defence of alibi of the accused. Sign up now!
The Vizconde Massacre | GMA News Online Vizconde Massacre | FreebookSummary 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. It was hard to tell which made up the truth and the lies. September 7, 2010http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/september2010/182555.htm The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. InVizconde case: The SC has given weight to the importance of forensic evidence in a court trial. This is despite questions to his credibility for receiving money and enjoying privileges while he was in Abadillas custody and the existence of inconsistencies in his testimonies in open court. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth.
Vizconde murders - Wikipedia 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. 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. The Supreme Court acquitted them on Dec. 14, 2010. 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. 5. While the SC rejected Alfaros testimony being not a credible witness, it held Alejo still a credible witness despite the inconsistencies in his testimony. De Lima said it was possible that it was Black Maria who was in the Vizconde home and not Jessica Alfaro, the NBI's star witness during the trial. [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. Alejos testimonies in open court were also not consistent to what he had said to the police investigators immediately after the murder. 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. Webb presented certifications from the U.S. Immigration but he failed to submit as evidence in court the original copy of his passport with immigration entry stamped on it. 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. 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. Justice Villarama argued that a photocopy of Webbs passport in court to support his alibi and the testimonies of witnesses, mostly his relatives and friends, could not be given merit, by cautioning his fellow justices that it can be gleaned from the fact that passports and plane tickets indicating dates of arrival and departure do not necessarily prove that the very same person actually took the flight and added that indeed, alibi cannot be sustained where it is not only without credible corroboration, but also where it does not, on its face, demonstrate the physical impossibility of the accuseds presence at the place and time of the commission of the crime. As a result, the court reverses the decision of the Court of Appeals, and acquits Webb, et al. [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. True Crime. There was only one vital witness for the prosecution, Freddie Alejo.
The Visconde Massacre Case - Filipino Journal The SC rendered its judgment on the Abadilla case on September 7 and on the Vizconde case on December 14 of this year [2010]. 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] Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United States on business when the murders took place. Thus, her testimony could not be admitted. [citation needed] (The Philippine Rules of Evidence require official attestation of the authenticity of any public document presented in evidence; as per Sec. Originally, there were seven accused charged in this case. due to "overwhelming evidence that showed Webb and the other accused had conspired to rape Carmela and, in the process, kill her and the rest of the family." 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. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. 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. Sources from the Department of Justice said Webb, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court last December, 2010, was in the country during and after the crime happened in . 150 likes. 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. It strictly laid down these as the least requirement in evaluating the credibility of the claim of positive identification. Reporters jostled with Vizcondes relatives and friends in his garage, where Fr. Lauro Vizconde the husband of Estrellita and father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United State on business when the murders took place.
Violent Vizconde Massacre | Crimes That Shocked Asia - YouTube Hubert and his co-accused were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court for the crime on June 6, 2000. Call 896 6000. The people urging President Rodrigo Digong Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 elections are making fun of him. No. Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. Welcome to my maiden column in TheSTAR, now the countrys No. Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde. It defended the attack on Alejos credibility, for example, his inconsistencies on the number of gunmen, arguing that this had already been explained by Alejo during cross-examination by correcting his earlier statement and that the affidavits, being ex-parte, are almost always incomplete and often inaccurate, but do not really detract from the credibility of witnesses. Former Paraaque City cop Gerardo Biong walked free from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City after serving a 12-year sentence. The lower courts, the Supreme Court said, held that "Webb was actually in Paraaque when the Vizconde killings took place".
The Vizconde massacre - my defining moment | Philstar.com On the contrary, it reopens it. I can't express enough how sad and unjust today's story. [57] The witnesses include an electrician, a drug dealer, a couple of neighborhood basketball players, a hairdresser and a village security guard. [2] Two of the accused remain fugitives from the law: Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. 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. Ho Man Tin, Kowloon 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. 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. TRUTH OUT, HEALING BEGINS. Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. Hell never return to the Philippines, said the Thai tourist whose cash was filched by Manila airport security personnel. Police assets are often criminals themselves. Kaya laban lang tayo. It cannot be coached or allured by a promise of reward or financial support. [65] One team uncovered Black Maria, a woman whom one witness said had told him she was with Webb's group inside the Vizconde home and saw the crime take place. June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California.
For almost two decades, Filipinos have been mystified by the brutal 1991 killing of a mother and her two daughters. 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 47-year-old Estrellita had 13 stab wounds. 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. Defence of Alibi: In Vizconde case not admissible, in Abadilla case court acted on conjectures. This contradicted Hubert Webb's claim that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 27, 1992. A police officer, Gerardo Biong, has also been charged for destroying the evidence at the crime scene. She also testified that Biong received money at a house that she later learned belonged to then Paraaque Congressman Freddie Webb; the Webb family's maids, Mila Gaviola and Nerissa Rosales, who both testified that Hubert Webb was at home on June 30, 1991. 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 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. Hopefully, if they will surface, public pressure will snowball and I will finally get the justice I am looking for, he said. [60], Although Webb's group can no longer be retried because of double jeopardy, De Lima said the purpose of the reinvestigation was to uncover the truth and bring closure to Lauro Vizconde.[65][66]. Jennifer woke up and, seeing Webb violating her sister, jumped on him and bit him. 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 presumption leaned on is disputable and can be overcome by evidence to the contrary. The SC required this test as necessary before a testimony of positive identification could be accepted as credible and with merit. [5] The other defendants were convicted by the Paraaque Regional Trial Court, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. Connections Followed by The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre II - May the Lord Be with Us! [9] They were acquitted by a trial judge in September 1993 for insufficient evidence.[9]. Alfaro testified that as Webb followed Carmela into the dining room, she decided to step outside for a smoke. [60] Mario, a hair stylist during the period June 1991, testified that Webb, along with Tony Boy Lejano and Dong Ventura had their haircut. A local elected official whos being groomed to run for a national office is being sold to the highest bidder by the politicians spouse. It cautioned itself from accepting the testimonies of witnesses without applying these tests. The details of how they were killed were grim. White was mistaken in saying that Gatchalian and company went in and out of the gated community many times, since they only entered once. Fax: +(852) 2698 6367, Copyright 2023 Asian Human Rights Commission. InAbadilla case: Both the RTC and the CA did not apply this test of credibility of a witness before accepting the testimony of Alejo. 4. Rodolfo Sison, the police investigator originally assigned to the case in 1991. He then hurled the little girl to a wall and started stabbing her. [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. Hubert argued that the specimen could exonerate him from the charge and support his defence that he did not rape the victim. G.R. (1994) Details Release date June 24, 1993 (Philippines) Country of origin Philippines Languages English Filipino Tagalog Filming locations Footnote: This article comprises the text of a statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, AHRC-STM-266-2010, dated 21 December 2010. It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. Lauro Vizconde: "Is there still anyone among you who doubts that there is rampant corruption in our government? 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. 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. 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.
The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! (1993) 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. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre.
Two of the accused have also been acquitted by the RTC on the basis of their defence of alibis. Among those present were former Vice President Teofisto Guingona; Arsenio Boy Evangelista, father of carjack victim Venson Evangelista; Dacer-Corbito witness Cezar Mancao and his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio; and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC). Carpio testified for the defense during the trial. She did not know nor met any of them. 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. 176864), it became one of the most sensational cases in the Philippines, being described as a "trial of the century". This policewoman is either ignorant of the law or plain lazy. 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. He and six others spent 15 years in jail. This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 03:37.
The Vizconde Massacre: God, Help Us! (1993) - IMDb :Isumbongwill make a comeback on PTV-4 on June 12, 2021. On June 30, 1991, Estrellita Vizconde and her two daughters: Carmela and Jennifer, were found lifeless inside their home in Paraaque.
Appendix: Case analysis: Supreme Court's rulings on Vizconde and 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. People vs. Bello, G.R. The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. 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. Suspicions, no matter how strong they are, must never sway judgment.
The Vizconde Massacre | Shows | discovery+ [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. . 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. al, 1995, G.R. [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.
SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness His intention was very, very dubious, he said. : Directed by Carlo J. Caparas. About the Show; You May Also Like . On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. [47], On December 28, 2010, new witnesses have come forward accusing Hubert Webb and others of allegedly being behind the Vizconde massacre. The CA in effect crafted and formulated the conjectures giving them the appreciation similar to facts offered as evidence where it had based the judgment. 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. 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 Vizconde massacre made headlines in the Philippines in the '90s and started a trend in filmmaking. starring Kris Aquino as Carmela Vizconde. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission They are Lenido Lumanog, Augusto Santos, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus and Joel de Jesus. InVizconde case: Jessica Alfaros positive identification was rejected because she did not meet the test of a credible witness and that what she personally saw must be believable, not inherently contrived. Biong was released from jail on November 30, 2010, after serving his sentence. But to Judge Amelita Tolentino of the Paranaque Regional Trial Court, the truth was the account of star witness Jessica Alfaro. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. ), Moreover, Judge Tolentino also denied Webb's request to subject semen samples to DNA testing on the belief that the samples may no longer be intact. The ballistic test results also did not match to any of the firearms supposedly taken from the accused to the empty shells that were recovered at the crime scene. At the end of February, the Bureau of Fire Protection held a parade featuring some of its trucks and equipment as well as new regular personnel: women firefighters. 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. 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. There was entry of (former senator) Freddie Webb leaving the country in March 1991 but no Hubert Webb, De Lima said.
Vizconde massacre case: Back to square one | ABS-CBN News 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.