On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. [29] From there she allegedly saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts. [29], For the alibi to be established "the accused must prove by positive, clear, and satisfactory evidence that he was present at another place at the time of the perpetration of the crime, and that it was physically impossible for him to be at the scene of the crime". I stood my ground because I had all the facts in my hand. Herbas had testified for the defence instead of the prosecution when the Abadilla did not fulfil his promise to give him (Herbas) exactly the same salary he was receiving and when he was told that he would no longer be presented as witness because the testimony of Alejo would be sufficient. 1 newspaper in terms of circulation and readership. The CA held that these ballistic results are inconclusive and can never prevail over appellants positive identification by eyewitness Freddie Alejo. 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 readers will notice soon enough the brevity of each topic. Violent Vizconde Massacre | Crimes That Shocked Asia - YouTube [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. Tolentino also found it hard to believe that Webb was working with a pesticide company because he was asthmatic and allergic to various substances. [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. : Directed by Carlo J. Caparas. [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 | GMA News Online Please try again. Call 896 6000. 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. Published July 4, 2011 7:24pm. Who does forget the heart-crushing 1991 Visconde massacre, with Jessica Alfaro standing as the star witness, whistle-blowing the details how these young men before, coming from our society's influential families, killed Mang Lauro's wife and his two daughters. [56][62][63][64] Dang claimed to have heard Dong Villadolid shouting at the top of his voice, saying they had raped and killed a certain Maria (presumed to be Maria Carmela Vizconde) and other persons. [46], President Benigno Aquino III ordered the law enforcement agencies to re-investigate the case six months before the prescription period lapses. Firstly, the SC held Alfaro was not a credible witness. [49], On January 4, 2011, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said suspect Joey Filart was spotted in the United States. SC slams 'unbelievable' testimony of Vizconde massacre witness. InAbadilla case: Both the RTC and the CA did not apply this test of credibility of a witness before accepting the testimony of Alejo. February 26, 2021. . vs. People of the Philippines et al., 1997, G.R. 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. Forensic evidence: In Vizconde case it cannot lie, in Abadilla case it is inconclusive. Abadilla Case Decision from the Court of Appeals:http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/abadilla5/docs/A5-CAdecision.pdf. The court also said that it was "possible for Alfaro to lie" on the details of the case. The SC, however, held that by failing to prove the existence of a relationship between Hubert and Carmela; and that the lover that Alfaro claimed that Carmela had met did not come forward in public or in court, her testimonies about the accused and the victims were like a piece of jigsaw puzzle trimmed to fit into the shape on the board but does not belong because it clashes with the surrounding pieces and the lover was a mere ghost of the imagination of Alfaro, the woman who made a living informing on criminals. G.R. All of us who have cases in court, dont we realize that if your opponent has money, brace yourself. [11], The defense produced documents and presented 95 witnesses, including Hubert Webb himself and his father, along with other relatives and friends to support Webb's alibi that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 26, 1992. 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. I am not an NBI agent nor an NBI asset. ", Jessica Alfaro: Alfaro's e-mail from abroad read. Two of the accused have also been acquitted by the RTC on the basis of their defence of alibis. Asuncion, 27, was a constant playmate of Jennifer Vizconde, who was 7 years old when she was killed. 176864), it became one of the most sensational cases in the Philippines, being described as a "trial of the century". 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. I also updated them on the new twist in the investigation. (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. The Vizconde Massacre | Shows | discovery+ 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. The RTC, however, acquitted Delos Santos despite being positively identified also by Alejo as one of those who was present at the crime scene. But feeling uneasy, she decided to go up to the stockroom near Hubert's room to see what he was doing. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Shades of what happened in the 2004 elections, when a national official was paid a huge sum to run under a political party. SC acquits Hubert Webb, 6 others in Vizconde massacre [50], On January 18, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Lauro Vizconde's motion to reverse the acquittal because of double jeopardy. The Truth about Mendiola Massacre - Philippine True Crime Stories | Martin Rules. 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. The SC acquitted all the accused, reversing and dismissing the guilty verdict of the RTC and the CA. By providing an email address. Hell never return to the Philippines, said the Thai tourist whose cash was filched by Manila airport security personnel. 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. 5. She took advantage of her familiarity with these details to include in her testimony. 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. The court rejected his testimony because he was a disgruntled witness. Rey and Jerry claimed they saw Webb playing basketball between the months of June and July 1991 during a league in BF Homes. Alibi cannot prevail over the positive identification of a credible witness [140].. The 47-year-old Estrellita had 13 stab wounds. It would be a serious miscarriage of justice and a demonstration of inequality before the law should jurisprudence not be applied equally. The most significant topic that Ive ever written about and which I personally got involved in was the Vizconde massacre. Be consoled that the truth will always come out, Hernandez advised Vizconde. 2. Di naman ako puwede magtrabaho don (If that's the case, then I should have had a salary. Many of the stories in my columns in previous newspapers were complaints from citizens. The lead suspect was Hubert Webb whose father, Freddie Webb was famous as an actor, former basketball player, and Paraaque congressman at the time of the murders. 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. Methinks one year would give Eleazar ample time impose his brand of discipline on one of the most undisciplined police forces in the world. 176864 People of the Philippines vs. Hubert Webb, et. Hubert Webb of Vizconde Massacre Freed- Breaking News - theAsianparent 24, Rule 134, R. 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. No. 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. 1. The court noted the inconsistency between Alfaro's testimony of Webb being Carmela's boyfriend, who had no reason in breaking the glass panel of the house's front door to enter the house; Alfaro said that Webb "picked up some stone and, out of the blue, hurled it at the glass-paneled front door". InAbadilla case: The SC affirmed the CAs judgement as inconclusive the use of forensic evidence, for example, the fingerprints and ballistic test results, showing that none of the five accused had their fingerprints match to those extracted from the murder victims car. [15] The accused alleged that by rejecting 132 of the 142 pieces of evidence, Tolentino had set the tone for their conviction. In rejecting the defence of the accused, the SC also affirmed the conjecture the CA had put forward as to the possibility that the accused could have been present or somewhere at the vicinity where the crime took place, as mentioned below: On Joel de Jesus, it was not impossible for him to have gone also Katipunan Avenue (from Quezon City where he was driving), which is also part of Quezon City, not to mention the fact that with his tricycle, he could have easily moved from one place to another; On Rameses de Jesus and Lenido Lumanog, their claims lack credence as they are unsupported by the testimonies of independent witnesses. After the shooting, he could have easily and quickly transferred to Camp Crame between 9:00 and 9:30 in the morning. Am I dismayed by the decision of the (Supreme Court)? True Crime. It held that the acquittal of their co-accused does not necessarily benefit the appellants. [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. The Murder of an Entire Family While Dad Was Abroad for Work June 30, 1991 for a bicycle he bought from a store in Orange County, Los Angeles, California. On the contrary, it reopens it. The lower courts, the Supreme Court said, held that "Webb was actually in Paraaque when the Vizconde killings took place". Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth - Facebook However, keep in mind not to be vindictive. Sulu in the eyes of my good friend Princess Jacel Kiram is a potential eco-tourism destination and fruit basket of the country. "[21], In April 2010, the Supreme Court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from Carmela Vizconde. 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." The men were released on Dec. 14 last year, after the Supreme Court dismissed the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro against Webb. [2][20], The court ruled that the Paraaque RTC was correct in sentencing Webb et al. Firstly, like Alfaro, Alejo also received money and free accommodation from the persons who had interest in his testimony. [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. [3], The Inter-Agency Task Force assigned to reinvestigate Vizconde massacre case formed 6 teams or 3 parallel teams to look into 3 sets of suspects linked to the murders. 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. [2] Tolentino said the certificates issued by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Philippine Bureau of Immigration "could have easily been obtained by the powerful Webb family". 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 took the trial and appeal process in this case fifteen years. April 28, 1995 Jessica Alfaro presents herself as a witness and accuses Hubert Webb. References: Nine years later, still no clarity on EDCA sites. I can't express enough how sad and unjust today's story. She said that when she entered Hubert's room, she saw him wearing only his pants, awake and smoking in bed. a contribution to Human Rights work, Asian Human Rights Commission 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. 176389 / G.R. Similar to the accused in the Vizconde case, all the accused in the Abadilla case invoked their defence of alibi. 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. Movie producers and directors rode the wave of public outcry by creating true-to-life films based on such heinous crimes. 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. Vizconde Massacre: The hidden Truth. Vizconde marks 20th year of murders: Time to move on 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. [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. 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. Former Paraaque policeman Gerardo Biong was found guilty as an accessory for burning bedsheets and tampering with other evidence in the crime. 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. In a decision dated January 6, 2000, Paraaque Regional Trial Court Judge Amelita Tolentino convicted Webb and the co . 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. Knowing this, I cannot but hesitate to swallow everything that Alejo said at the trial. The filming location took place in the actual home of the Vizconde's where the massacre took place on June 30, 1991. 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. Acting solely on Alfaros testimony, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed charges of rape with homicide against the eight accused on August 1995. Lauro Vizconde: "Is there still anyone among you who doubts that there is rampant corruption in our government? The other accused were Artemio Dong Ventura, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Pyke Fernandez, Peter Estrada, Miguel Ging Rodriguez, and Joey Filart. Lejano and Ventura also took turns raping Carmela, before finishing her off with numerous stabs. The lower courts, however, reasoned that "Webb's alibi cannot stand against Alfaro's positive identification of him." God does not teach us to retaliate. Choose Gods endless kind of love., Hernandez also reminded Vizconde that he now had three saints in Heaven.. 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. Apart from Alejo, earlier there was another witness, Merlito Herbas. Estrellita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde. [18], In her decision, Tolentino described the testimony of defense witnesses as full of inconsistencies and biased. Fax: +(852) 2698 6367, Copyright 2023 Asian Human Rights Commission. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. I will be conferring with my lawyers about my future moves.. She admitted to knowing Webb and company but denied knowledge of the Vizconde massacre, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said. 4. InVizconde case: The majority of the justices strongly argued against relying on conjectures on deciding the case, particularly on the claim that Hubert Jeffrey could have been in the Philippines, and not in the U.S., when the crime happened. Vizconde massacre timeline | Philstar.com 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. [2] Two of the accused remain fugitives from the law: Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura.