Eyewitness’ testimony found ‘unbelievable’
By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Hubert Webb and six others were acquitted Tuesday of the grisly 1991 Vizconde massacre by the Supreme Court, which thrashed the testimony of the prosecution’s star witness Jessica Alfaro as “incredible and unbelievable.”
So, who did it? Who murdered Estrellita Vizconde and her daughters Jennifer, 7, and Carmela, 18, who was raped before being stabbed to death?
Voting 7-4, the high court acquitted Webb, Antonio Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Hospicio Fernandez, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada and Gerardo Biong “for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”
All of them have been released. Biong, a former policeman convicted of destroying the evidence at the crime scene, was freed two weeks ago after having completed his sentence.
The decision does not cover two other accused, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, who have remained at large.
The high court’s 38-page decision to acquit Webb et al. revolved mainly around what it said was an “incredible and unbelievable” testimony of Alfaro and the alibi presented by Webb that he was in the United States at the time of the crime, which the prosecutors had failed to disprove.
“Ultimately, Alfaro’s quality as a witness and her inconsistent, if not inherently unbelievable, testimony cannot be the positive identification that jurisprudence acknowledges as sufficient to jettison a denial and an alibi,” the tribunal said in the decision written by Associate Justice Roberto Abad.
How they voted
Those who concurred with Abad were Senior Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Jose Perez, Jose Catral Mendoza and Ma. Lourdes Sereno.
“I vote for the revocation of the verdict of conviction there being a lingering doubt,” Mendoza wrote above his signature in the promulgated decision.
Those who dissented were Chief Justice Renato Corona and Associate Justices Martin Villarama, Teresita Leonardo-De Castro and Arturo Brion.
Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who had testified in the trial, did not participate in the deliberations.
Senior Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., a distant relative of a party to the case, was on official leave.
Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura abstained because he filed a pleading in the case when he was the solicitor general. Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo inhibited as well because one of the convicts is a client of his wife’s law firm, according to court administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez.
Lingering doubt
In the decision, the Supreme Court said it was reversing the decision dated Dec. 15, 2005, and resolution dated Jan. 26, 2007, of the Court of Appeals and ordering the immediate release from detention of Webb et al. “unless they are confined for another lawful cause.”
“In our criminal justice system, what is important is, not whether the court entertains doubts about the innocence of the accused since an open mind is willing to explore all possibilities, but whether it entertains a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt,” the high court said, adding:
“For it would be a serious mistake to send an innocent man to jail where such kind of doubt hangs on to one’s inner being, like a piece of meat lodged immovable between teeth.
“Will the court send the accused to spend the rest of their lives in prison on the testimony of an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) asset who proposed to her handlers that she take the role of the witness to the Vizconde massacre that she could not produce?”
Marquez said the Supreme Court’s decision questioned the “quality” of the witness presented by the prosecution, “suspicious details that continued to linger on the quality of the testimony because of marked inherent inconsistencies and supposed corroboration of other witnesses that could not be relied on.”
NBI ‘darling’
Alfaro’s testimony failed to convince the magistrates, who noted in the decision that she could have lied in pointing to Webb et al. as the perpetrators of the gruesome crime that had shocked the nation.
The high court said Alfaro was not an ordinary NBI asset but a “darling” of the agents because she had helped bring about the arrest of a number of notorious drug pushers and criminals.
It said Alfaro might have pieced together the details of the crime with the help of her easy access to NBI information and the details widely reported in the media.
The high court also noted that in his testimony before the trial court, NBI official Artemio Sacaguing said Alfaro had claimed to know someone with knowledge of what happened on the night of the crime, but that she eventually volunteered to assume the role when she failed to produce the informant.
Sacaguing testified that he had warned Alfaro that she could not do that because she was not an eyewitness to the crime.
The court discussed in detail the “abundant” inconsistencies in Alfaro’s testimony, such as her claim that Gatchalian, Fernandez, Estrada, Rodriguez and Filart had agreed to Webb’s proposal to gang-rape Carmela and yet it was only Webb, Lejano and Ventura who entered the house.
It pointed out that the rest supposedly stayed outside the house where they could have been easily seen by the Vizcondes’ neighbors who were having a drinking party.
‘Mr. X’
The high court said the prosecution had failed to corroborate its “core theory” that Webb and Carmela Vizconde were sweethearts, and that it was her being unfaithful to him that prompted him to hurt her.
Alfaro had testified that she followed Carmela out of the house and saw her drop off a man somewhere near their Parañaque City subdivision. She said Webb’s mood darkened after she told him about what she had seen.
But the high court wondered why Carmela’s unidentified male companion, her boyfriend as Alfaro had presumed in her testimony, had never surfaced.
This “Mr. X,” according to the tribunal, the supposed object of Webb’s jealousy, should have surfaced upon news of Carmela’s murder, but apparently “did not exist.”
Moreover, the high court noted, none of Carmela’s friends ever testified that she and Webb had a relationship, or were at least going out.
“Alfaro’s claim of a five-hour drama is like an alien page, rudely and unconnectedly inserted into Webb and Carmela’s life stories or like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle trimmed to fit into the shape on the board but does not belong because it clashes with the surrounding pieces. It has neither antecedent nor concomitant support in the verifiable facts of their personal histories. It is quite unreal,” it said.
Documented alibi
As for Webb’s alibi that he was in the United States at the time of the crime, the Supreme Court said that if there were questions on the accuracy of his travel documents, the prosecution “did not bother to present evidence to impeach the entries in Webb’s passport and the certifications of the Philippine and the US immigration services regarding his travel to the US and back.”
“Webb’s documented alibi altogether impeaches Alfaro’s testimony, not only with respect to him, but also with respect to Lejano, Estrada, Fernandez, Gatchalian, Rodriguez and Biong. For if the court accepts the proposition that Webb was in the US when the crime took place. Alfaro’s testimony will not hold together,” the tribunal said.
“Webb’s participation is the anchor of Alfaro’s story. Without it, the evidence against the others must necessarily fall,” it said.
The high court also said Webb was not entitled to be acquitted for the failure of the authorities to produce his semen sample because at the time of the trial, neither he nor his co-accused had brought up the matter of preserving the specimen.
perl – December 14, 2010 12:20 pm
eto mas matindi… uso talga layaan ngayon…
SC acquits Hubert Webb, 6 others in Vizconde massacre case
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/208277/sc-acquits-hubert-webb-6-others-in-vizconde-massacre-case
Mike – December 14, 2010 12:39 pm
O.T.
Perl, I always believed that Webb is innocent. It’s about time he is freed. Good decision of the SC.
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 12:48 pm
Mr Vizconde said Tony Carpio was the Supreme Court justice who was lobbying for the overturn of the verdict. I too believe that Hubert is innocent but Tony Carpio’s involvement leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Mike – December 14, 2010 1:27 pm
Anna, Mr. Vizconde has no proof re Carpio’s lobbying. Mere insinuation.
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 1:36 pm
Is that right? Well, I have a great mistrust of Carpio. Anyway, it’s very possible that Carpio lobbied (rightly or wrongly) — after all, he and Freddie Webb go a long, long way back.
Anyway, Carpio was a great lobbyist particularly when he served as legal advisr to FVR. He would lobby left right center for a project, getting a cut in the process… If he didn’t get what he wanted, your project would be dead in the waters even if it had won all the approvals, the agency’s recommendations and it was already at the top of the pile on FVR’s desk ready for signature.
In fact, a few months before Gloria appointed him to the SC, he was making life miserable for Lockheed Martin and the US defence company’s local partners and all of a sudden dropped his attacks. Industry knew what transpired…
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 1:37 pm
I know the man…
Mike – December 14, 2010 1:40 pm
I too have great mistrust of most of the SC justices, especially those that were appointed by Gloria (Carpio included). But I believe that the decision on the Webb case is based on it’s merits, etc… and not by someone lobbying for it.
cocoy – December 14, 2010 2:24 pm
Naniniwala ako na inosente si Hubert Webb, ewan ko lang doon sa ibang akusado.
The State Department said it found that Hubert Webb ay nasa US at the time of the Vizconde massacre, but Tolentino ignored the testimony.Sinakyan lang ni Judge Tolentino ang Public outcry dahil sa gusto niya siguro ng publicity.
Nung trial gusto ng abugado ni Hubert na ipa DNA ang semen kung talagang mag matched sa semen na natagpuan kay Carmela, pero tinangihan ng Judge.
Ang mga testimony ni Alfaro was been coached by NBI.
cocoy – December 14, 2010 2:32 pm
Malaki ang pagkakamali ng Judge Tolentino sa pagdinig ng kaso dahil tinangihan niya ang mga evidence na ipinipresenta ng Defense kaya maluwang ang pintuan para sa apela.
cocoy – December 14, 2010 2:33 pm
“If it Don’t fit, You must acquit” Iyan ang American Justices.
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 2:58 pm
Mike,
As I said, I too belive he’s innocent but doesn’t alter the fact that his SC acquittal leaves a bad taste in the mouth because of the involvement of Carpio who to me is one unethical SOB.
Naniniwala ako na inosente si Hubert Webb, ewan ko lang doon sa ibang akusado.
I go with Cocoy… But apparently, they were all tried and convicted under the conspiracy to commit murder and so when Webb’s conviction was overturned by SC, the others too got acquitted.
Sax could perhaps enlighten us on this.
juggernaut – December 14, 2010 3:11 pm
I told you guys things will get better! they get better every year, not just because of new leaders but as a people we have an innate drive to be be better…though we may not always agree on the methods… 🙂
juggernaut – December 14, 2010 3:12 pm
most of you have this “tough love” thing…it shows in how you treat the president, sabagay marami na ring naglalambing sa kanya…and hindi na din siya cute…hehehe
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 3:15 pm
”On October 28, 2010, Webb filed an urgent motion for acquittal, asserting that with this development, Hubert’s guilt could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
“On Tuesday (Dec. 14, 2010), Supreme Court acquitted the suspects”
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/anc/12/14/10/vizconde-massacre-revisited
Under different circumstances one should be delighted at the speed with which the High Court rendered its decision (and I AM delighted for the Webbs), i.e., 6 weeks; ironically, it also highlighted SC’s not so blind justice system bearing in mind that the accused were scions of wealthy families. Would the SC have acted with the same diligence had the accused not enjoyed the same social status?
juggernaut – December 14, 2010 3:15 pm
at least something positive came out of mendoza’s death…may he rest in peace… 🙁
juggernaut – December 14, 2010 3:19 pm
anna,
still it took 15 years or so…far too long to be imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit…some people commit suicide given the same circumstances…or go insane…then again, some people can actually rise above it…
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 4:02 pm
Jug, not questionning Webb’s right to be acquitted or minimising his acquittal — gone away from that already; now on the path of thought re the ability of the SC to dispense justice with absolutely phenomenal speed when it really wants to…
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 4:06 pm
something positive came out of mendoza’s death
— jug
Who’s Mendoza?
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 4:08 pm
Oh, don’t answer that… just jugged my brain and I think the answer is the cop-turned hostage taker who was killed in Luneta
norpil – December 14, 2010 5:30 pm
justice is better late than never. good day for pinas. hope for better days ahead.
saxnviolins – December 14, 2010 6:57 pm
But apparently, they were all tried and convicted under the conspiracy to commit murder and so when Webb’s conviction was overturned by SC, the others too got acquitted.
The Court answered that in the paragraph before the conclusion as follows:
Webb’s documented alibi altogether impeaches Alfaro’s testimony, not only with respect to him, but also with respect to Lejano, Estrada, Fernandez, Gatchalian, Rodriguez, and Biong. For, if the Court accepts the proposition that Webb was in the U.S. when the crime took place, Alfaro’s testimony will not hold together. Webb’s participation is the anchor of Alfaro’s story. Without it, the evidence against the others must necessarily fall.
Jake Las Pinas – December 14, 2010 7:06 pm
Just because they were acquitted by the SC doesnt mean they didnt do the crime. Puro tarantado itong mga batang ito. If there is anybody who can do the crime its their gang. Ask anybody in BF.
Saxnviolins – December 14, 2010 6:57 pm
But apparently, they were all tried and convicted under the conspiracy to commit murder and so when Webb’s conviction was overturned by SC, the others too got acquitted.
The Court answered that in the paragraph before the conclusion as follows:
Webb’s documented alibi altogether impeaches Alfaro’s testimony, not only with respect to him, but also with respect to Lejano, Estrada, Fernandez, Gatchalian, Rodriguez, and Biong. For, if the Court accepts the proposition that Webb was in the U.S. when the crime took place, Alfaro’s testimony will not hold together. Webb’s participation is the anchor of Alfaro’s story. Without it, the evidence against the others must necessarily fall.
Jake Las Pinas – December 14, 2010 7:06 pm
Just because they were acquitted by the SC doesnt mean they didnt do the crime. Puro tarantado itong mga batang ito. If there is anybody who can do the crime its their gang. Ask anybody in BF.
saxnviolins – December 14, 2010 7:20 pm
I hope you take the time to read the decision penned by Justice Abad. It is a masterful analysis of the evidence.
Not all Supreme Court cases are full of legalese. Criminal cases are normally an exercise in sifting through the evidence. There is less legalese, more of logic, and a whodunit quality to it, like a mystery novel. It tells a nice short story that is easy on your time and patience.
The way the story is told, through the mass of evidence, is also quite engaging.
That is one good writer added to the Court.
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 11:42 pm
Sax, Read the decision as soon as it was on line courtesy of Inday Varona on FB — quite an intriguing novel. In fact, was surprised that it was, as you say, not too heavily cloaked in legalese.
The justice who penned it indicted and convicted Alfaro with no room for appeal while his lawyering for Webb could only result in unanimous acquittal.
AnnaDeBrux – December 14, 2010 11:44 pm
The Supreme Court gained the reprieve that it needed so badly.
What more sensational decision could they hand down than this? A story for absolute mass appeal.
Now they all look the heroes they’ve always wanted to be.
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 12:31 am
“lawyering for Webb”?
I don’t think you can get Madam Justice Serreno’s vote if there were somebody brokering a decision for Webb.
It is possible that somebody was making efforts to convince the justices (I believe you suspect Tony Carpio). But the decision, I believe, got the votes on the merits.
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 12:34 am
Additionally, it is unlikely that the Webbs bought the decision. After so many years, and expenses for legal fees, I doubt that they still have the wherewithal to buy a decision, even if they wanted to.
cocoy – December 15, 2010 1:17 am
Sa passport lang ng tao, nakatatak na doon ang date of entry sa US at date of departure.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:17 am
@Anna, #85
The NBI then has an axed to grind against Freddie when he exposed a plan of some NBI agents to “release” (help escape) 11 Indian nationals who were caught manufacturing drugs (I think coke). Freddie Webb was a congressman then of Paranaque.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:27 am
The details of the crime are spelled out in their confessions, and it seems, as Justice Abad pointed out, Alfaro got some of her supposed details from these akyat bahay gang members.
Are the confessions on line? Wonder if the confessions involved a Webb which could have inspired Alfaro to formulate her “eyewitness account”…Going back to my earlier questions… Could it have been another Webb if a Webb was involved at all?
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:30 am
The NBI then has an axed to grind against Freddie when he exposed a plan of some NBI agents to “release” (help escape) 11 Indian nationals who were caught manufacturing drugs (I think coke).
That’s very very probable.
In other words, no Webb could have been involved at all. It was all pure vendetta and an entire panel of the judiciary fell for the NBI’s findings hook line and sinker.
Sigh…
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:33 am
Webb is acquitted on the basis of what I, a layman, would qualify as solid evidenc, hence proof of innocence, but the others were aquitted by deduction. Could it be that the others in the group are not innoncent at all of the crime?
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:35 am
Some say that Judge Tolentino was enjoying the “limelight” because of the celebrated case. She got a lot of “awards” after putting Webb, et. al. behind bars. She also got the plum prize of becoming a CA judge. Before that, her career as judge was… *yawn*
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 1:40 am
That’s what happened to Judge Ito of OJ fame, even the Marcia Clark and other prosecutors, and the defense team.
TV cameras are very seductive; and they cause one to preen and posture to the public. So looking good and grandstanding become a need, and doing the job takes a backseat.
That is the reason why I am against televising the Ampatuan case. The people have a right to info? Okay, then publish the transcript. But the people have no Constitutional right to voyeuristically view every gesture, frown, smile and stupid remark of grandstanding lawyers. That does not aid the dissemination of info on the case, that only aids the egos of already self-absorbed individuals, including yours truly.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:44 am
@SNV , #97
Much as I want a trial to be transparent, I would not agree to a live coverage too.
Magyayabang and magpapasikat lang ang mga huwes at mga abugado.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:47 am
To me, Hubert Webb’s evidence was solid… he was in the US at the time of the commission of the murder. I have no reason to believe that the US immigrations and State Dept officials would conspire and fabricate a lie to help a Filipino in a celebrated murder trial (even if Freddie Webb at the time sat in the Senate’s Defence Committee). Therefore, Hubert could only be innocent.
Mike answered my question on why Webb was even implicated… The idea that the NBI so hated Freddie Webb (thanks Mike) and so did everything to make him “pay” for his affront is plausible. But why choose to make this particular Webb the scapegoat, i.e., Hubert?
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:51 am
“But why choose to make this particular Webb the scapegoat, i.e., Hubert?”
– Anna
They didn’t do their homework. 😛 Lucky for the Webb’s the pick Hubert, since if it’s one of the other siblings… I doubt if there’s going to be an acquittal.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:54 am
The question should be: Who chose to feed this particular Webb to the lions and why? Note that he was in the US at the time of the commission of the crime.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:54 am
Hubert by the way was a known addict then in their village, easy to connect with a gruesome crime. The very reason why his dad the senator brought him to the US to avoid his “barkadas”.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 2:00 am
They didn’t do their homework. 😛
I’m with you on that Mike…the whole thing smacks of a generation’s entire judiciary’s bungling of the case.
Just the same, it’s difficult for a simple sailor like me to believe that there’s not one in the entire NBI who could have disagreed… or maybe just poor old me believing that there’s possibly at least one soul in the agency who would be professional enough to point out that it wouldn’t make sense to implicate Hubert Webb (inasmuch as he was in the US.)
Oh well… thanks all for engaging me in the discussion.
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 12:34 am
Additionally, it is unlikely that the Webbs bought the decision. After so many years, and expenses for legal fees, I doubt that they still have the wherewithal to buy a decision, even if they wanted to.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 12:35 am
Sax, that was a tounge in cheek comment… and agree that there was reasonable doubt. Am, quite honestly, intrigued by what I’ve read especially the alibi issue which seems to me is not given weight in RP or not much weight; alibis should be easy to check out after all.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 12:37 am
Sax, don’t get me wrong… I genuinely would like to understand, hence my questions. Am delighted for the Webbs.
Mike – December 15, 2010 12:53 am
@ SNV # 81
If they have the money to buy decisions, why wait for 15 years? If they are powerful as some are claiming, why wait for 15 long years? They could have slipped out of the country as soon as the news of the massacre broke out.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 12:57 am
One thing that’s puzzling me is Judge Tolentino’s view that Webb’s alibi and documents he presented to corroborate that alibi were sidelined.
I understand that one might be sceptical of RP official documents presented as evidence (and rightly so) but documents signed no less by Albright and her underlings? Difficult to believe that Albright herself colluded with other officials state officials to sign or approve a non-factual certification that I’m sure she knew (because I’ m sure she would have been made aware of that fact by US embassy Mla) would be used as evidence in a murder trial in RP.
Given the “solid” evidence, i.e, certification no less than by US govt officials, why was Webb even accused? Why was he even arrested? How did Webb come into the picture at all and virtually singled out? I know, some quarters would say, Alfaro’s eyewitness account was damning but just the same, why this particular Webb, i.e., Hubert?
parasabayan – December 15, 2010 1:03 am
I really do not know the facts on the Webb case but I know that the gathered eveidences were compromised. Kung sino man ang mastermind nun, they should be punished.
I felt for Mr Vizconde. To lose one family member is tough enough. To lose three of his family members brutally at the same time, no words can be describe it. Para ngang pinagsakluban siya ng langit at lupa.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:09 am
I doubt that they still have the wherewithal to buy a decision, even if they wanted to.
Agree…
That said, for the sake of discussion with regard to RP setting, my opinion is that payment need not exactly come in the form of money; could be in exchange for service/s rendered in the past too. And while it is impossible for anyone to buy out an entire panel (except for Lucio Tan perhaps), one only needs to convince (“buy”) ONE member of a panel for things to tip over…
cocoy – December 15, 2010 1:13 am
One thing that’s puzzling me is Judge Tolentino’s view that Webb’s alibi and documents he presented to corroborate that alibi were sidelined. –Anna.
Either Bias ang Judge at gustong i convict ang accused or mahina ang Defense Lawyer at di nila naipaglaban na admit it into evidence.
Before exhibits can be admitted into evidence, attorneys must establish the necessary foundation, or the facts that indicate the exhibit is what it purports to be.
Evidence is not relevant unless its authenticity can be demonstrated.
Sa kaso ni Webb State Department mismo ang nag confirmed na nasa USA siya nung time the crime was committed.And almost hundred witnesses pa ang handang tumistigo na nasa US nga si Webb.
If the case was been tried by the Jury,Webb was acquitted in the first place.
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 1:14 am
There is the mention of the akyat bahay gang, who, allegedly confessed to the PNP, but whose case got dismissed. The details of the crime are spelled out in their confessions, and it seems, as Justice Abad pointed out, Alfaro got some of her supposed details from these akyat bahay gang members.
The concurring opinion of Carpio-Morales sheds more light on the akyat bahay angle. She also shreds to pieces the cynicism regarding alibi.
It is true, that alibi is a weak defense, if there is some likelihood that the accused could have been in both places. For example, if the crime occured in a bar in Makati, and the accused lives in Forbes, then the alibi that he was home is weak, because one can go to the bar and come back home, giving a semblance that he did not leave his house.
But as Carpio-Morales pointed out, one has to be open-minded to the evidence, not just think in slogans or trite legal truisms. As she said, if alibi that spans thousands of miles is not credible, then when will alibi be credible? If one is in another planet? Obviously, Amelita Tolentino was making the slogans think for her, weighing the evidence.
Both Justice Abad and Carpio-Morales pointed out that Philippine documents may be fabricated, but not US documents; and certainly not the high-level certifications in this case.
Now let us see if they will be open-minded enough to sift through the evidence in the Dacer-Corbito case, where one of the bones is said to be animal skull (De Ungria) and the DNA test did not yield any human DNA.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:16 am
Now let us see if they will be open-minded enough to sift through the evidence in the Dacer-Corbito case, where one of the bones is said to be animal skull (De Ungria) and the DNA test did not yield any human DNA.
I like that! Indeed let’s see…
cocoy – December 15, 2010 1:17 am
Sa passport lang ng tao, nakatatak na doon ang date of entry sa US at date of departure.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:17 am
@Anna, #85
The NBI then has an axed to grind against Freddie when he exposed a plan of some NBI agents to “release” (help escape) 11 Indian nationals who were caught manufacturing drugs (I think coke). Freddie Webb was a congressman then of Paranaque.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:27 am
The details of the crime are spelled out in their confessions, and it seems, as Justice Abad pointed out, Alfaro got some of her supposed details from these akyat bahay gang members.
Are the confessions on line? Wonder if the confessions involved a Webb which could have inspired Alfaro to formulate her “eyewitness account”…Going back to my earlier questions… Could it have been another Webb if a Webb was involved at all?
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:30 am
The NBI then has an axed to grind against Freddie when he exposed a plan of some NBI agents to “release” (help escape) 11 Indian nationals who were caught manufacturing drugs (I think coke).
That’s very very probable.
In other words, no Webb could have been involved at all. It was all pure vendetta and an entire panel of the judiciary fell for the NBI’s findings hook line and sinker.
Sigh…
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:33 am
Webb is acquitted on the basis of what I, a layman, would qualify as solid evidenc, hence proof of innocence, but the others were aquitted by deduction. Could it be that the others in the group are not innoncent at all of the crime?
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:35 am
Some say that Judge Tolentino was enjoying the “limelight” because of the celebrated case. She got a lot of “awards” after putting Webb, et. al. behind bars. She also got the plum prize of becoming a CA judge. Before that, her career as judge was… *yawn*
saxnviolins – December 15, 2010 1:40 am
That’s what happened to Judge Ito of OJ fame, even the Marcia Clark and other prosecutors, and the defense team.
TV cameras are very seductive; and they cause one to preen and posture to the public. So looking good and grandstanding become a need, and doing the job takes a backseat.
That is the reason why I am against televising the Ampatuan case. The people have a right to info? Okay, then publish the transcript. But the people have no Constitutional right to voyeuristically view every gesture, frown, smile and stupid remark of grandstanding lawyers. That does not aid the dissemination of info on the case, that only aids the egos of already self-absorbed individuals, including yours truly.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:44 am
@SNV , #97
Much as I want a trial to be transparent, I would not agree to a live coverage too.
Magyayabang and magpapasikat lang ang mga huwes at mga abugado.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 1:47 am
To me, Hubert Webb’s evidence was solid… he was in the US at the time of the commission of the murder. I have no reason to believe that the US immigrations and State Dept officials would conspire and fabricate a lie to help a Filipino in a celebrated murder trial (even if Freddie Webb at the time sat in the Senate’s Defence Committee). Therefore, Hubert could only be innocent.
Mike answered my question on why Webb was even implicated… The idea that the NBI so hated Freddie Webb (thanks Mike) and so did everything to make him “pay” for his affront is plausible. But why choose to make this particular Webb the scapegoat, i.e., Hubert?
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:51 am
“But why choose to make this particular Webb the scapegoat, i.e., Hubert?”
– Anna
They didn’t do their homework. 😛 Lucky for the Webb’s the pick Hubert, since if it’s one of the other siblings… I doubt if there’s going to be an acquittal.
Anna:
The question should be: Who chose to feed this particular Webb to the lions and why? Note that he was in the US at the time of the commission of the crime.
Mike – December 15, 2010 1:54 am
Hubert by the way was a known addict then in their village, easy to connect with a gruesome crime. The very reason why his dad the senator brought him to the US to avoid his “barkadas”.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 2:00 am
They didn’t do their homework. 😛
I’m with you on that Mike…the whole thing smacks of a generation’s entire judiciary’s bungling of the case.
Just the same, it’s difficult for a simple sailor like me to believe that there’s not one in the entire NBI who could have disagreed… or maybe just poor old me believing that there’s possibly at least one soul in the agency who would be professional enough to point out that it wouldn’t make sense to implicate Hubert Webb (inasmuch as he was in the US.)
Oh well… thanks all for engaging me in the discussion.
AnnaDeBrux – December 15, 2010 2:05 am
Hubert by the way was a known addict then in their village, easy to connect with a gruesome crime.
Mike,
I believe there’s another Webb who’s also known to take illegal substance.
Someone might have posted but escaped my eyes… who signed the US certification that Hubert was in the US when the Vizconde massacre happened?
Madeline Albright, then the US secretary of State.
It’s impossible for the Webbs to have bribed Madeline Albright.
Thanks, Ellen. I’m not very familiar with this case kasi kaya tinututukan ko ang basa sa mga poste nila. Yes, I agree…imposible nilang mabili ang babae na yan….
Didn’t know that the Webbs had that much influence (so they claimed) that they can coerce/ bribe/ etc.. the US secretary of State Madeline Albright. 😛
Another argument they’re saying is that Hubert was indeed in the US but could’ve went out and back in the US just to commit the crime of rape and murder? :X
Anna, your #103 comment made me think outside of what I”ve been reading… 🙂
Next time the Department of Justice-NBI, the prosecutors and the police should do their homework in gathering physical evidences and witnesses’ testimonies. Sloppy job may send innocents to gas chambers. Buti na nalng walang death penalty sa Pilipinas. Masyadong mabagal ang justisya, akalain mo 15 years bago sila ma-absuelto. Kaya ayaw pahuli si Sen. Ping Lacson dahil sa bulok na systema. Ang mga tunay na criminal kaya nila Jocjoc Bolante at Jose Pidal Mafia ay libreng pagala-gala. Nakapasakit Kuya Eddie.
#10
“Madeline Albright, then the US secretary of State.
It’s impossible for the Webbs to have bribed Madeline Albright.”
Exactly….
They cannot also bribe the Federal Bureau of Investigation that provided the NBI, records on Hubert Webb’s activity while in the US from MArch 1991 until Oct.1992. Daming mga hispanic na drug lord na na-extradite sa US mula sa request ng FBI,may mga kanong senador pang nahuhuli at natatanggal sa pwesto dahil sa mga gathered evidences na napapatunayan ng FBI…tapos bibigay lang ba ky freddie webb? kalokohan…
“Madeline Albright, then the US secretary of State. It’s impossible for the Webbs to have bribed Madeline Albright.”
That is IF the only bribe we can think of is monetary. But there are other forms. Think of “support” to “actions” vital to US national interests.
If Webb is innocent then something is clearly wrong with our police and judiciary. Just wondering how many innocents are incarcerated in the national penitentiary.
It’s easy to say that if you are innocent, you should face any charge levelled against you. If I would charged of a crime in the Philippines, given it’s slow and inconsistent judicial process, I will as Lacson did RUN like hell.
# 17
Who is Freddie Webb for the US to bend some laws in his favor? He is practically nothing to them and doesn’t need his expertise on defense matters.
BTW, he was an “offensive” player during his basketball playing days. 😛
Justice Villarama’s dissenting opinion as published in the Inquirer:
“As to the certifications issued by the US government tending to show that Webb was abroad at the time of the killings, Villarama pointed out that the defense argument of presumption of regularity on the part of the US state agencies was “misplaced.”
He stressed that Webb did not use his original passport as a defense evidence and that the airline tickets to the United States bearing his name was not proof that he actually left the country.
Villarama noted that at the time, tampering of passports and other travel documents was rampant.
“It is worthy (to note) that the original (copy) of Webb’s passport was not offered (as) evidence … which only gives credence to the prosecution’s allegation that it bore signs of tampering and irregularities,” he said.
“Villarama then pointed out that the US Immigration and Naturalization Service in San Francisco issued a certification that its records did not contain Webb’s stay in the United States.”
“Noting that the flight from San Francisco to the Philippines was only 14 hours, he said it was not impossible for Webb to be in the country at the time of the crime and then leave after it was committed.”
In this morning’s “Umaga Kay Ganda”, Hubert Webb declared that the infamous Mayor Sanchez of the Sarmenta/Gomez case is also “innocent”. It takes one to know one.
Simple lang naman ang tanong:
“Nasaan ka ng gabing naganap ang krimen”. Webb alibi he is in America with supporting documents signed by US secretary…even FBI said he was in US. I don’t think Senator Webb can dictate US he is only PHL senator…eh kung si Franklin Drilon then Senate President pinag alis ng sapatos sa SFO kaya nga galit na galit.
Ang naging pala isipan lang sa akin bakit only Webb has an alibi bakit ang iba umasa na lang sa petition ni Webb. Nasaan sila ng gabing nagangap ang Krimen..ano ang kanilang naging alibi.
Ang crime of the century, kaagad nagka-showbiz pagkatapos gawing pelikula ni Carlos J. Caparas. Sa pelikulang iyon, pa-ikot ikot lang ang istorya,maraming theorya!
Kaya di nakapagtataka, ang emosyon ng bayan talagang buong galit sa ky Hubert Webb…yun ay noon, at sa pagkalat ng mga ebidensya na nagpapatunay na si Hubert na talaga ay nasa America,kompirmado mismo ng FBI, talagang namulat din ang karamihan sa ating mga kababayan na si Hubert ay inosente….
Thanks henry for #19. Hindi ko pa nabababas in full ang decision…
““Noting that the flight from San Francisco to the Philippines was only 14 hours, he said it was not impossible for Webb to be in the country at the time of the crime and then leave after it was committed.”
He went back home just to commit a crime and then back to the US again? Incredible!
after seeing alll these,, i think Senator Lacson will be saying (kaya di ako magpapahuli)just like his case, its all frabicated.he will be jail for a crime of others..de javu
# 19
“It is worthy (to note) that the original (copy) of Webb’s passport was not offered (as) evidence … which only gives credence to the prosecution’s allegation that it bore signs of tampering and irregularities,” he said.
With regard to not using the original of the passport, the majority said:
On the driver’s license, the dissent said:
Amybody here in the US can confirm that you have to be physically present to apply for a driver’s license. Walang runner or fixer dito. You take your computer test, and later, the driving test, with proof of ID before the test is administered.
On the point about the INS records, the majority, quoting the dissent of Justice Lucenito Tagle at the Court of Appeals, said:
# 24
Mike’s point is expressed by the majority as follows:
The trial court and the Court of Appeals expressed marked cynicism over the accuracy of travel documents like the passport as well as the domestic and foreign records of departures and arrivals from airports. They claim that it would not have been impossible for Webb to secretly return to the Philippines after he supposedly left it on March 9, 1991, commit the crime, go back to the U.S., and openly return to the Philippines again on October 26, 1992. Travel between the U.S. and the Philippines, said the lower courts took only about twelve to fourteen hours.
If the Court were to subscribe to this extremely skeptical view, it might as well tear the rules of evidence out of the law books and regard suspicions, surmises, or speculations as reasons for impeaching evidence. It is not that official records, which carry the presumption of truth of what they state, are immune to attack. They are not. That presumption can be overcome by evidence. Here, however, the prosecution did not bother to present evidence to impeach the entries in Webb’s passport and the certifications of the Philippine and U.S.’ immigration services regarding his travel to the U.S. and back. The prosecution’s rebuttal evidence is the fear of the unknown that it planted in the lower court’s minds.
Maybe Webb could have come back just to commit the crime. But the Rules of Evidence states that he who alleges the affirmative (the existence of something) must prove the allegation. Webb had the negative (I did not return just to commit the crime); the prosecution had the affirmative (Webb came back). So the prosecution has to prove the affirmative.
It is elementary that one cannot prove a negative. Gayon din, sa philosophy; the Theists have to prove that there is a God. The atheists do not have the burden of proving that there is no God.
Kaya nga, it is the prosecution that has the burden of proving guilt. The defense is not burdened to prove the innocence of the accused.
@ “WHO IS Freddie Webb for the US to bend laws in his favor?” “I don’t think Senator Webb can dictate US he is ONLY PHL senator…” “KUMPIRMADO mismo ng FBI” (my stress)
Comments show how LITTLE we think of ourselves as Filipinos. That the US will NOT BEND its laws for a Filipino senator MIGHT be true. That Madam Albright cannot be bribed by a Filipino MIGHT be true.
Granted these are true, we still cannot eliminate the possibility that the US CAN BEND its laws if it will benefit US national interest. This is not to say that Hubert Webb is innocent or that he is not. It is to correct a misconception that just because its the US its incorruptible.
Our comments reveal a high regard for the US: that the US system/public officials are incorruptible; that the US system is highly efficient.
Yes, no Filipino senator can dictate the US. Yes, Filipino senators are ONLY senators. But let us not forget that senators craft and vote upon laws that may affect US national (includes business) interests.
ganito yan pre 9/11, when you enter the states, you get a stamp of entry BUT you do NOT get one when you leave. pre 9/11 yan ha. magtanong kayo sa mga may green card na nag-over stay sa philippines but still want to maintain their residency status. madami yan. the only you thing you need to do to erase your entry to the philippines (which would be sole proof then that you left the u.s.) is “lose” your passport and get a new one. then you get new stamps from the lovely boi people. easy peasy.
btw, negosyo itong ganitong m.o. na ito noon. pag pumunta ka kasi kay garfinkel at sinabi mong more than 6 mos ka nang wala sa u.s., sasabihin sa yo, sorry, i cannot do anything about that.
the state department can only attest to what its records show. and records are in the hands of low level functionaries. madeleine albright did not see hubert webb on the night in question.
anong kala niyo sa amerika impervious to record-tampering? and it might not even be that. webb could have easily slipped into the u.s. after the killings through canada/mexico. remember this is pre 9/11. then the passports could have again been lost.
ako, naniniwala ako na guilty si hubert webb. i know the parties involved on the law enforcement, prosecution and rtc side. walang ibang gumawa nito kundi si webb and his co-horts.
#28 & 29
eh kaya kailangan i prove na nasa amerika siya kasi may eyewtinesses na nagsasabi na nandito siya. sus.
“webb could have easily slipped into the u.s. after the killings through canada/mexico. remember this is pre 9/11. then the passports could have again been lost.”
Question is, why did he comeback if he can “slipped out” of the country and in to the US? If they are that powerful, why wait for 15 years? They could have just let Hubert “slipped out” of the country immediately.
oh and re: antonio carpio
come freaking on. just because he ruled in favor of what we thought was right recently does not mean the guy is not corrupt. the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend. it’s every man for himself. case by case, man.
mike, because they thought they could get away with it then. kala nila solid ang alibi nila. by the time, they knew he was in any real jeopardy, it was too late then. baka i-man hunt lang si hubert. that could have ended worse for them.
or do you mean, let him out of bilibid? like what they used to do for teehankee and the one who killed maguan? those two routinely were let out. just not sure what percentage of their time was spent out/in prison.
anyway, webb family members have lives and careers in the philippines. if they think they suffered then, they knew they could suffer worse. the webbs are well-off but not the kind that do not need to work and just live off a trust fund. tutugisin sila forever and ever.
its all water under the bridge now…by how it appears, hubert really looks like the poster boy for this kind of crime, rich, rowdy barkada, probably did drugs also (he looks like he did) and some people didn’t like him – but doesn’t this describe a lot of boys his age?
…and the witness was proven to be an NBI agent? what?
…this was an NBI hatchet job, even their former boss believes that webb is innocent…
…there was a time when i too was part of a rowdy bunch of young boys, drinking, very noisy in bars (as if no one else was there), even climbed the mactan-mandaue bridge diagonal metal thingy just to win a bet (1 case of beer), rode on the hood of a speeding top down jeep, got into several bar fights, no drugs though…good thing nobody got raped and murdered during that time…and good thing we didn’t live in paranaque… 🙂
OT: uso acquital.. okay yan… pero eto ang isang katarantaduhan:
Court junks Katrina Halili’s case vs Hayden Kho Jr
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/208290/court-junks-katrina-halilis-case-vs-hayden-kho-jr
In a 10-page decision, Judge Rodolfo Bonifacio of the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 159 dismissed the cases after the prosecution camp failed to present sufficient proof to show Halili was unaware that she was being videotaped while having sex with Kho.
on a lighter note – the court also acquitted “idol” Hayden Kho! yeheyyyy!!!! 🙂
eat your heart out Bong Revilla!!! and idol, stop making videos already okay? you’ve raised the bat for performance too high, now women ask us “why can’t you do what he does?” not so good for DOMs with weak knees like us… 🙁
# 34
The defense already proved that he was in the US, so the prosecution must prove na umuwi siya. A doubt that baka umuwi siya is not evidence.
#42
it’s an alibi. and the defense only proved he entered the u.s. a certain time and exited a certain time. they did not prove it to be impossible for him to be in paranaque on the day of the killing where there were witnesses testifying to seeing him. it wasnt a strong enough alibi.
On the point above (# 42), Carpio-Morales says:
It is now the dissenters’ reasoning which turns highly speculative and conjectural, one borne out of unfounded suspicion. It suspects that the Webb family may have used its “financial resources and political influence” to control all the U.S. and Philippine immigration people, thus allowing Webb to secretly “travel back to the country and again fly to the U.S. several times” between March 9, 1991 and October 26, 1992. It bears noting that the prosecution proffered no evidence to establish that during the interregnum Webb had surreptitiously slipped out of the U.S.A. to the Philippines, and that he subsequently re-entered the U.S.A. by bypassing all immigration controls and protocols in both countries. This is the stuff of which spy novels are made, but not in the real world where the lives of innocent individuals are at stake.
Facts decide cases. Conjectures and suspicions are not facts, hence, they have no evidentiary value.
Jug, baka naman sabihin ni Halili na binayaran ni Vicky Belo yung judge para ma-acquit si Hayden…heh,heh,heh. Not far fetched di ba?
juggernaut,
di lang probably. he did do drugs (before he found the lord. jeez). remember? nahuli yung maid nila nagpupuslit ng shabu. consintidor yang mga magulang, kaya nagkaganyan.
# 43
Precisely my point in 34. The affirmative is, Webb returned. The negative is, he did not.
How do you prove a negative?
#44
the fact is witnesses saw him in paranaque and one even saw him commit the crime. and the fact is the alibi is not airtight.
Hahaha.. hindi talaga tayo magkakasundo dyan sa kaso ni webb at vizconse… 15 yrs ngang pinagtalunan ng mga magagaling na imbestigador at abogado yan sa korte
Ke guilty man o hindi si hubert webb.. isa lang ang sigurado… bulok ang justice system sa pilipinas…
kung guilty si webb, bakit sya pinalaya ngayon?
Kung hindi naman guilty, bakit umabot ng 15 years na nakakulong?
haay naku! kaya Sen. Lacson.. tago ka lang…
# 47
prove that he was in the states the day it happened? easy. unbiased witnesses that he was in the u.s.
he is not proving a negative. he is substantiating his alibi.
Jug, you remind me of a younger brother of mine who was a typical spoiled brat, always out with a bunch of other kids, romping around, etc., etc. and often in trouble and that was during Martial Law. Last straw was a brawl involving son of a powerful politician and the whole thing was over a girl (if I’d only known, would’ve told him fighting over a girl was a most idiotic thing but I was not in RP)!!!! Politico’s son apparently was furious because brother stole his girl friend. Brother beat up politico’s son bad who ended up in hospital with broken parts of the anatomy; Mom fearing reprisal and rightly so, shipped brother to US; standing warrant of arrest for years, fortunately Dad was not one without professional connections either, armed and unarmed. Oddly enough, many years or so later, I met said politico during one of my working visits to Pinas — he recognised my name and even asked about Dad whom he knew long ago but there was no longer any animosity, I suppose because nobody died.
# 34
Agree, “BAKA”—Presumptions are not a substitute for evidence.Even if they believe the accused is probably guilty or likely guilty, that is not sufficient.
What’s in question here is where Hubert Webb in the crime scene. It’s whether they can prove IN COURT –
# 47
yun yung point nina webb kung bakit pina-testify nila sina gary v etc. but their testimonies were worthless kasi they saw hubert long after the crime happened.
#52
they did prove it in court.
#52
alibis that are not airtight cannot hold against positive identification of witnesses.
This once turbulent brother of mine has become the epitome of a very sedate, responsible family man (thanks to his wife — hahahahah!)… would never ever have predicted that when he was young.
suggest you guys read original decision after you read sc decision to compare.
this was not a mass hallucination/invention of witnesses, police, nbi agents, prosecutors and judges/justices.
The RTC and the CA concede that Webb left for the US in March 1991. The conjecture is he returned to commit the crime. So that is the affirmative; that he returned. That was not proven by the prosecution.
First, we need to look at the motive.Ano ang motibo ni Hubert Webb na patayin ang mga Vizcone?
Sa tama lang ng saksak na 17 more stab wounds he must be outrage to commit the crime. Matindi ang galit niya.
Saka bakit pa siya uuwi ng Pinas para patayin sila then balik sa US agad, he could hired a hitman to do the job for him dahil sabi ninyo they are powerful and rich.
I was in college then and we were asked to do a reaction paper on the Vizconde massacre topic which was a hot topic then. Got a low grade for my report because of some grammatical errors (am not good in English) and because I was biased towards the Webbs daw. I should have complained and told her that she’s the one who’s biased towards Alfaro but I didn’t since the teacher was quite a looker. May crush kasi ako sa kanya at crush ng bayan. 😛
That’s when I got hooked with the story up to this day. Nasubaybayan ko ng husto itong news na ‘to. 🙂
# 57
Upload it, and I will read it.
logging out. in the mean time,
i leave you eric cartman,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXiw5Qt5vNw
In fairness to Elizabeth Webb, she was mostly alone raising the kids and I think she did try to instill discipline (the other Webb kids turned out quite well) — Freddie Webb, despite being married and already a family man loved having a good time regularly (Ask his friend who used to own TGIF restaurant).
#59
basted ang sabi ni carmela sa tatay niya. + drugs.
sa pilipinas unlike the us di essential and motibo sa kaso.
Saka bakit pa siya uuwi ng Pinas para patayin sila then balik sa US agad, he could hired a hitman to do the job for him dahil sabi ninyo they are powerful and rich.
pano naman yung rape? papayag ba sya na ipagawa yun sa hired hitman.. lol
#65
Hindi naman yata na prove na ni rape ni Webb si Carmela dahil missing ang DNA test ng semen.
Most of time someone is being found to be innocent is due to better DNA tests today than we had even five or ten years ago. This makes it very hard to show that the prosecutors or police knew they had the wrong person, since the test that would have shown this did not exist.
@Jug, #39
Maybe you were the missing link. Aminin mo na para tapos na usapang ito.
Joke lang! 😛
— Mike
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
@Jug, #39
Maybe you were the missing link. Aminin mo na para tapos na usapang ito.
Joke lang!
– mike
—————-
hahaha! i don’t understand, why “rape” women? even a “make believe” one doesn’t make sense and isn’t even enjoyable…
tried it once when i was a lot younger, my gf at that time prabably enjoyed the novelty too much she punched me in the face – when i asked her why the hell would you do that? laughingly she said thats what she’d do when someone is raping her…i forgot she was studying tae kwon do at the time…she gave me a bloody lip…never did it again…even make believe…
anna,
fighting over a girl? did that too…with my ex best friend…
henry knows the guy…henry, i’ll tell you all about it if we ever meet…walang sinabi ang telenovela ni gerald and kim sa totoong buhay…. 🙂
Jessica on the run? :l
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101215-309019/Jessica-on-the-run-says-US-neighbor
masha,
chill…its done…remember double jeopardy?
…i’ll have to go with sax on this one…why we are so enamored with testimonial and not so much with actual material evidence makes my head turn…
…and why Alfaro’s credibility as a witness never surfaced earlier…
Thanks guys. Nandito na lahat ang sagot sa questions ko, di ko na tinapos ang SC decision, natamad na ako. 🙂
I wish tuloy munang magtago si Lacson hangga’t walang order si PNoy na reinvestigation dahil sa tagal ng kaso e hindi na nya maabutan ang decision ng SC sa katandaan, ma-double jeopardy pa sya. hehehe.
Is it better for guilty people to go free rather than one innocent person go to jail
Not sure what the Webb and the co-accused gonna do now that they are a free man.
The justice system is not perfect and lots more guilty people go free than innocent people go to jail. Some states give compensation to people wrongly imprisoned. California, pays $100 per day. The judge does not get fired. The prosecution is required to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, not beyond the possibility of error.
Saka bakit pa siya uuwi ng Pinas para patayin sila then balik sa US agad, he could hired a hitman to do the job for him dahil sabi ninyo they are powerful and rich.
pano naman yung rape? papayag ba sya na ipagawa yun sa hired hitman.. lol
HAK! HAK! HAK!
Nasubaybayan ko iyung trial, di lang ako kumbinsido doon sa witness na si Jessica Alfaro, nawawala siya sa sarili niya at parang nakakalimutan niya ang script na sasabihin niya,tulala na para bang naghihintay kung ano ang sasabihin sa kanya para sabihin niya.
Si Sen. Cayetano ang nag presenta sa kanya. Di kaya may bahid ng pulitika para sirain si Freddie Webb? Ng na convict si Hubert Webb nanalo si Sen Cayetano at natalo naman si Freddie Webb na incumbent senator. Di kaya mas interesado si Cayetano na ma convict sila para gamitin niyang platform sa kumpanya niya at makuha niya ang simpatya ng masa?
What about the two other accused, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, who have remained at large? Do they exist at bakit yata di sila nahanap ng NBI.
Maghinay hinay sana ang media lalu na ang ABS-CBN sa pag-cover nito. Hindi ko alam kung imahinasyon ko lang ba ito pero nararamdaman ko ang triumphalism. Hinay hinay lang sana tayo. Masakit ang mawalan ng pamilya, ang maghanap ng hustisya, ang malamang hindi pa pala tapos ang paghahanap ng hustisya.
“witness na si Jessica Alfaro, nawawala siya sa sarili niya at parang nakakalimutan niya ang script na sasabihin niya,tulala na para bang naghihintay kung ano ang sasabihin sa kanya para sabihin niya.” – cocoy
Coy, Alfaro reminds of Mama Rosa Lopez (Mi no recuerdo) of the O J Simpson trial. Rosa’s mind was out of whack when being grilled…nakalimutan lahat yung “hours of exercises nila ni late Johnny Cochran, hehe……
“What about the two other accused, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, who have remained at large? Do they exist at bakit yata di sila nahanap ng NBI.” – cocoy
The way these two are scampered like rats…who knows…they might the real killers?
they might be the real killers?
Tru Blue
#81
Mi no recuerdo was a comic relief at Judge Ito’s courtroom.Hahaha!
The way these have scampered like rats…who knows…they might be the real killers? dang…even my keyboards are going bananas!
Mama Rosa’s outrageous dress was bought by Johnny. Was damn large for her,hehe…and Marcia became hysterical..lol.
“Ang naging pala isipan lang sa akin bakit only Webb has an alibi bakit ang iba umasa na lang sa petition ni Webb. Nasaan sila ng gabing nagangap ang Krimen..ano ang kanilang naging alibi.” – jojovelas2005
I echo this very excellent point. Sax and the legal minds here seemed dodging this pointed inquiry.
#85
Pareng True Blue,Check the label of your computer maybe, it’s made in China although you bought that at “Best Buy”Hahaha!
Anyway, if Webb and company were not the real culprits, justice would still not be served because the criminals are out there lurking.
#86
Marcia Clark was pantyless during the trial, that’s the reason Johnny Cockran died early thinking day and night he let that opportunity passed-by.His prostate cancer gave him heart attack.Hindi niya nailabas.Hahaha!
Webb’s counsel Atty. Flaminiano plans to file charges against Alfaro and will seek her extradition. If convicted, Alfaro will get the equivalent sentence of what Hubert’s et al original sentence which is life sentence.
@Tru blue, #87
I think it’s in their affidavits. The media was so focused on Webb’s they didn’t bother to report it.
#91
@ Mike, Naloko na..Webb camp and the co-accused are now studying their option to ask for damages from the government such that their clients were imprisoned from 10 to 15 years.
Sa aking palagay dapat iyung huwes at mga prosecutor ang kasuhan nila at hingian ng damages.–If it is shown the prosecutors knowingly presented false evidence they can be fired or disbarred.
Unless there was prosecutorial misconduct, it can be considered that it was a judge that found them guilty and not the state. In that case, the state is usually found to not be responsible.
cocoy,
dapat lang bayaran ng gobyerno yung mga ganyang nakukulong na wala naman palang sala para pagbutihan ng gobyerno (as a whole) ang pagpapatupad ng batas…
pero dapat ding managot yung mga imbestigador o prosecutors na humawak ng kaso.. kaya lang.. dapat pagaralan ng maige ang pagbibigay ng parusa sa kanila… baka matakot ng magtrabaho ang mga yan…
@Cocoy:
I think they should go for it and file charges against those who wronged them. They spent more than 15 years in jail for a crime they did not commit. Kaya nga nagtatago na raw si Alfaro dahil alam niyang pwede siyang damputin anytime kapag may probable cause. Remember that one of the documentary evidence was certfied by the US gov’t. and it wouldn’t be hard to convince them to appreciate their own certification. Yan ay kung nasa US nga si Alfaro. I don’t know lang kung kasama sa extradition treaty yung kaso ni Alfaro.
@Perl, #93:
Meron ngang isang kinulong na terrorist daw but the court did not buy it. He was apparently released from jail kaya this guy is now seeking damages from the PNP for PHP 400M plus.
@cocoy Sa tingin ko hindi uusad ang kaso laban sa mga prosecutors. Trabaho ng prosecutors na gumawa ng kaso laban sa mga PINAGHIHINALAANG may sala. Hindi rin uusad sa tingin ko ang kaso laban sa huwes. Trabaho nitong magbigay ng hatol batay sa mga naipakitang ebidensya ayon sa INTERPRETASYON nito ng batas. Ibang usapan kapag ang huwes ay napatunayang nagpabaya o nasuhulan.
its time we address the flaws in our justice system.
i hope you can write a separate post expounding on your thoughts re Hubert Webb’s acquittal Ms. Ellen.
I wonder how this will impact SC decisions in the future specifically the Ampatuan massacre? When Gloria declared martial law on that area some time ago the Ampatuan residence has been raided and all possible evidence may have been either destroyed or ruined…worst, maybe rendered inadmissable in court…
What will be left? Testimonial evidence of the witnesses who are diminishing in numbers due to extinction? Will the shark of a lawyer Fortun rip these witnesses to shreds in court?
…I can’t seem to trust this SC, I have this nagging doubt at the back of my mind that they are part of a chess game and the gambit has been started…
Jug,
Good points there.
“Will the shark of a lawyer Fortun rip these witnesses to shreds in court?” — this is very very probable. As Aurora Pijuan remarked in an FB post, some people buckle under intense questionning or under cross examination.
Our problem is govt side; if prosecutors bungle their case against the Ampatuans or if witnesses who may not be naturally articulate get mixed up in their oral testimony because of intense pressure by defence counsel, there’s a chance these Ampatuans might be acquitted based on technicality… Good Lord, what a horrendous thing that would be!
A little OT…. but will those idiots in media please stop asking the Webbs the stupid question “How do you feel?” And will they please stop asking the same annoying question to Lauro Vizconde?
Nampucha ano pa nga ba isasagot nila? Duh
What about the others?
In my earlier post, I pointed to the Court’s answer. That is in the last two paragraphs of this article.
The others had their alibis. But the Court did not bother to assess it, for it said, without the presence of Webb, as the anchor to Alfaro’s story, the story will fail, also as regards the others.
Magbasa naman ng article.
#27:
Pls correct me if I’m wrong. Makakakuha ka ba ng driver’s license sa US pag tourist visa lang hawak mo? Anybody?
henry90
Yup. My bro was able to obtain a CDL way back in 1984. I guess they just assumed that everyone who applied for a license was a legal resident.
Of course everything changed after 9/11
Di ko rin maintindihan. Kung tourist visa din lang si Webb, how was he able to stay that long sa US feom March 1991 to Oct 1992? Di ba usually 6 months lang ibibigay ng INS sa tourists? Ipagpalagay mo na naextend siya doon. Pero tourist aabot halos ng 2 years sa US? Care to enlighten me US people?
Henry, re “Makakakuha ka ba ng driver’s license sa US pag tourist visa lang hawak mo? Anybody?” Yes…
My son did that. In fact a German friend sent his 3 kids to the US to do their driving course right after high school and then to take and to pass test, easier to obtain US license which can be converted eventually into a European license without having to go through the incredibly stringent European driving tests. Cheaper than to do it in Europe where you spend a fortune for the driving course. Actual driving tests are sometimes insurmountable. I reckon I’d fail my theory test if I had to take it again here in Europe.
If he stayed there for more than a year then most likely TNT na ang status nya… unless he was sponsored by a company there – in that case working visa hawak sya.
— Henry
That also occured to me but I reckon he just went AWOL as lots of Pinoys do or was enrolled as a student perhaps in some course or another?
Of maybe he went to Canada or Mexico in between?
My son got his driving license in California this year.
I have this impression that Henry doesn’t believe that Webb is not guilty 😉
“My son got his driving license in California this year.”
Hhmmm…. good for him. I know there are “friendly” DMV offices whose personnel are quite lenient. Was he required to have an SSS number?
Yes, henry, before 9/11 it was easy for a tourist to get a driver’s license. My bro-in-law got one. Baka immigrant status si Hubert noon. But continued stay for two years in the US as tourist, TNT na yan. Pero marami namang gumagawa ng ganyan lalo noon, kahit ngayon basta hindi nahuli. Magandang puntos but whatever was his status in the US, his stay eatablished that he was not at the crime scene when the massacre took place.
Hindi ko lang magetsing talaga ay bakit winala ng NBI ang sperm DNA ni Hubert. Baka meron nakakaalam, ako naman ang nagre-request ng enlightenment.
On a student visa your son, Anna? In CA it’s quite easy even today…
Two years on a tourist visa?
Yes, puwede. We have clients who have overstayed their visa ten years. Repeat, ten years. Nag-asawa, ng Fil-Am (not fixed), so now, green card holder na.
The INS (CIS na ngayon for Citizenship and Immigration Service) is not interested in mere overstays. They are understaffed. So they go for the priority deportees – the pedophiles, drug traffickers, etc. Yung nagtratrabaho lang, Chinese cook, Mexican waiter, etc., wala silang interest diyan. In fact, in one case, our client, an overstay Pinoy, when he was brought to the Federal Plaza, nagalit pa ang supervisor. Istorbo lang daw.
Dati yang Webb & Co. ay mga kontra-bida ngayon ay bida na sila. Kawawa talaga si Vizconde.
Mga igan ko na naniniwala na walang kasalanan ang mga ito … tanong ko lang sa inyo … noong dinidinig ang kaso … yang tatay ay isang “Senador” … kung totoo lahat yang mga ipinapakita nilang ebidensiya nila na US Visa , passport, etcetera at winala lang ng Judge .. di ba dapat nagnga-ngawa na yang ex-Senator … para que pa nasa Senate yan.
Wa-es talaga sila dahil naghintay sila ng tamang oras …. ito ang binili nila …. ORAS.
Isa kang Senator papayag ka bang ma-Munti ang anak kung yan ay walang kasalanan???? Puweeee!!!!
It is not just Pinoys, Chinese and/or Mexicans. There are the Russians, Polish, and Irish.
Ang mabuti sa kanila, puti sila, so kung hindi lang magsasalita, they can blend in. Yung Irish, halata yung blarney. Marami na ngayon, at dadami pa, dahil sa kanilang economic crash. Sa building lang namin, isang katerba ang contractor na Irish.
Yung trabahador sa kalye, sub-contractor ng gobyerno, wala kang madinig kundi da, nyet. The Tom Hanks movie about the airport is faithful to reality. Talagang handyman ang mga Slavs – Russians and Poles.
Hi Chi… he was on a 3-month internship program so I guess he automatically on a student visa; there’s no visa required of EU citizens to enter US but they can only stay 6 months continuously without a formal visa. I do know he was required to “reside” in California for a certain period of time to obtain his license so had to stay a bit longer.
# 116
Hindi winala ng judge ang passport and visa. Hindi lang pinansin. Please read the decision. The decision said, kapag tinimbang ng husto ang ebidensya, higit na kapani-paniwala ang defense, kaysa prosecution.
Parang plunder case ni Erap yan. Kapani-paniwala ba yung kinarga ni Chavit yung cash na ni si Arnold Schwarnegger kayang kargahin?
I meant si Schwarnegger di kayang kargahin.
My teenage son along with a couple of his friends decided they were going to do the same thing next year especially after 2 of their classmates failed their theory tests here 🙂 My son doesn’t want to take any chances and also, he thinks it’s hitting 2 birds with one stone, time it with his internship program in US and obtaining his driver’s license in the process (which I understand is what many young people from Europe do now) — our roads will soon be populated with US-trained drivers; different driving culture here (very aggressive driving here — no speed limit on German highways for example where you could go 300kms/h if you want, right of way to the death in Belgium for instance, speedy bumper to bumper driving in France, people refuse to use middle lane in the UK :-), etc., etc., while in US it’s more “defensive” driving. 🙂
— triggerman
I honestly don’t know.
Statute of Limitation on Murder — 20 years, Pilipinas.
The Vizconde case now makes me understand why Noynoy does not want to include “Who was Ninoy-murder mastermind?” in the 2010 Truth Commission. Para que pa, hindi naman mai-kukulong kung malaman man!
Iyon ang kamalasan ng matandang Lauro Vizconde. June 2011 (7 months lang!!!!) the statute of limitations on the heinous murder of his family expires. Kapag Hulyo-2011 nagliliwaliw pa sa Glorietta Mall or sa Asia Mall iyong mga guilty for Vizconde murders, tapos na ang bola. Wala ng pag-asa ang Lauro Vizconde na maikulong ang mga murderers.
Ooops, correct that… “there’s no visa required of EU citizens to enter US”, I meant EU Schenghen citizens. (Got reminded after Sax’s post about Slavs or Eastern Europeans going to US) I think citizens of new member states of the EU do not have similar US visa-free privilege.
Side-topic: Mas mag-liliit si Noynoy dahil WikiLeaks says China admires GMA’s leadership. Eto, just 3 days ago, HongKong again reminded its citizens — BLACK TRAVEL ADVISORY (meaning don’t go if you really do not need to) for Pilipinas.
But know what Chi, my daughter took her driving course here, passed her theory and actual driving tests too with flying colours. Same with her friends (all girls), all more conscientious in their approach to theory courses and tests than boys generally; it’s the boys who are finding the theory tests difficult — no patience at all to do book work so often opt for the easier way out.
Latest from SC:
“The acquittal of Hubert Webb and six of his co-accused in the Vizconde massacre case did not mean that they were innocent of the crime, a Supreme Court spokesman said Wednesday.
“Midas Marquez, the tribunal’s spokesman and court administrator, said the high court’s decision only held that the prosecution panel failed to prove Webb et al. guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
Read the rest: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101215-309170/Acquittal-does-not-mean-innocence-says-SC-spokesman
“Wala ng pag-asa ang Lauro Vizconde na maikulong ang mga murderers”
At least may pag-asa pang makulong ang mga taong luminlang sa kanya
webb could have easily slipped into the u.s. after the killings through canada/mexico. remember this is pre 9/11. then the passports could have again been lost.”
Question is, why did he comeback if he can “slipped out” of the country and in to the US? If they are that powerful, why wait for 15 years? They could have just let Hubert “slipped out” of the country immediately.
Perhaps,they believed that they will get away with it the First Trial at the Court of Justice Tolentino…but unfortunately he and others were convicted and again on appeal, lost…that is perpaps why…just too much confidence.
Anna, yun naman pala, yes of course he can easily get one. My cousin on a 6 months study here got one also.
That’s dousing water on the jubilations… But in a way, I agree. Nobody can be absolutely sure that the group was not guilty of the crime until someone makes a convincing confession (reference to a batch of suspects who confessed after torture) or gets punished for the crime beyond reasonable doubt.
Midas Marquez, the tribunal’s spokesman and court administrator, said the high court’s decision only held that the prosecution panel failed to prove Webb et al. guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
not really, the prosecution proved its case that was why they were convicted for the triple murders and rape and also lost their appeal with the CA, but at this time successfully appealed it to the SC…that is the story of the Hubert Webb case..
by the way, we have also an interesting case where the Jury acquitted two gang members of the murder of the 11 years boy caught in the cross fire during a party…only one witness for the crown and the jury was not convinced that his id of the suspects was accurate and reliable to return conviction..the parents and relatives of the victim blamed the approximately 300 cowards who were in the party who did not come forward to testify, but not the court or the jury…the suspect were in custody for 3 1/2 years and now both free and hope not to be back in court soon.
Chi, that’s why I suspect going to the US has become the favourite project of lots of students here. 😀
“DOJ to order Vizconde massacre reinvestigation”
Pampalubag-loob … Puweee!!!!!!
Kagaguhan kung ang paniwala mo ay walang kasalanan ang mga iyan… isang Senator pumayag na makulong ang anak kung talagang inosente? Puweeee ulit …!!!!
Instead of spending more than 1000 euros on a driving course (theory and practical tests included) and spend their time sitting in a classroom in their hometown during the holidays to attend driving theory classes with no guarantee that they will pass and obtain licence (if they fail tests, they have to go spend money again), they opt to go to US, try it and have a good time too. Very foxy kids are nowadays!
Anna @ 122…lucky those in autobahn, can drive to their hearts delight…we here can be charged for “stunt” driving for going over 50 the limit and that is only 150 at highway speed (or 100 at 50 km zone)…meaning automatic suspension for 7 days, car impounded and towed and minimum fined if convicted is $5000 and demerits and insurance premium double or triple…this is because Two Rich kids decided to race their parents Mercedes in the middle of the night and hit a Taxi and killed the driver…the government brought his Family from Pakistan and now been living ok after winning the lawsuits againts the two kids.
Let him enjoy the US, Anna. He’s good boy naman I’m sure. 🙂
Si Tedanz galit na galit. Easy buddy… kahit si Erapski believed that Hubert is innocent. 🙂
Vic,
What’s the speed limit in urban zones there, eg., inside city limit?
Anna, if there is no posted sign it is 50 kms…but in some it is 60 and 40 in school zones and seniors zones and in busy streets…secondary highways is 70 and 80s…max is 100, but 120 is acceptable and tolerated if the flow of traffic allows it. with performance cars i witness many cars zooming at more 200 kms..most cars here are electronically limited at 240 kms. even the bmw and merc.
Oh ok, thanks, Vic… 80 or 90km/h with no posted signs in French cities and 130 on highways. I think BMWs and Mercedez in Germany are probably not electronically fitted for speed limits because a German friend says he regularly does 300kms/h on his merc between Brussels and Frankfurt (maybe he’s showing off) but they certainly do 200 – 220 average speed on German autobahn (quite scary actually).
Chi, “He’s good boy naman I’m sure.” I think he’s a good boy (much like older brother), doesn’t drink (which is THE thing for youngsters here in Europe)nor smoke at all, very sporty type (member of school rugby and football teams, plays cricket too) but in the company of other young folks abroad? I really really hope so.
Rest muna tayo sa batbatan.
Wow Pinas dahil dito:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjOTmij3ROM&feature=related
__________________
Ok. Mauna na ko, ha:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all
Anna and moi started the rest earlier na, Gani. 🙂 Nakaka-dehydrate ang kaso na ito….
Ellen, fellow residents and friends,
Am off… thanks all for this entertaining and enlightening discussion; thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ellen, heartfelt thanks for providing us time and time again with a wonderful venue for discussions. Looking forward to participating in next year’s Ellenville meets and discussing with you all again next year!
And seconding Isagani’s season’s greetings, I would like to wish one and all:
A very merry and blessed Christmas and a joyous prosperous, and healthy new year!
I’ll follow two days from today, Anna.
A very happy and blessed Christmas to you and yours.
Excuse Slip:
Please excuse myself, TonGuE-tWisTeD, for being absent in class the past days. I have been busy doing house work and very late Xmas decorations.
For your usual understanding.
Namputsa naman oo. Sarap ng diskusyon saka pa ako umabsent.
Anna, one can not easily get a driver’s license now without an SSS number. For some, they can open a bank account and deposit a large sum and they can get a SSS number but it would say “for bank purposes only”.
Para sa akin, kahit maglulupasay pa si Lauro Vizconde o magmura ng todo-todo si Dante Jimenez, malinaw na ang sinabi ng korte.
Ang ebidensiya ay laging magwawagi laban sa panaginip ni Lauro, sa duda ni Tolentino, sa drama ni Jimenez, sa kabaliwan ni Mison, sa ingay ng media, higit sa lahat, sa kasinungalingan ni Alfaro.
Para sa akin, kahit maglulupasay pa si Lauro Vizconde o magmura ng todo-todo si Dante Jimenez, malinaw na ang sinabi ng korte.
Ang ebidensiya ay laging magwawagi laban sa panaginip ni Lauro, sa duda ni Tolentino, sa drama ni Jimenez, sa kabaliwan ni Mison, sa ingay ng media, higit sa lahat, sa kasinungalingan ni Alfaro.
These judges are paid so low. This is why corruption is so prevalent amongst them. To start suing them for wrong decisions will probably completely dissuade lawyers to be judges. Kailangan lang talaga na bantayan sila. For wrong decisions, they should just be terminated but not financially responsible. I have some judges in my family and they are still living in their run down family homes because they were never paid right.
In Ilocos Sur, wala ngang gustong maging judge kasi pinapatay sila. Whichever way the case goes, pinapatay pa rin sila. The latest was the judge from Tagudin. Mahirap ang buhay ng mga nasa judicial system natin. Until we protect and compensate our judiciary well, there will always be WRONG DECISIONS. Nabibili ang judge at nababayaran ang mga witnesses.
Diba co-terminus ni Gloria si Vizconde sa pagkaka-appoint sa PAGCOR? Si Dante Jimenez, putol na rin ba ang sustento ni FG?
Kaya naman pala puro “Putang Ina” ang lumalabas na bibig nitong Chairman ng Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption. Inilaglag na yata nung Amo nilang walang katulad sa Corruption. Nagbulag-bulagan sila noon kay Gloria, etong gantimpala nila.
Napakasakit na Karma niyan!
Tama ka diyan PSB.
Pero kung akala ng iba ay matino yang si Tolentino, nagkakamali sila. Nag team sila ni Jovencito Zuño sa lagayan. Naikwento ko na rito kung paano nila inumit yung One-M sa pinsan ko, hindi man lang nagpakadisente. Tinanggap din yung Four-M nung kalaban sa kaso ng pamangkin ko. Ang siste, kami na ang nabaril at muntik mamatayan, yung amin pa ang muntik makulong. Habang yung kaso namin sa kalaban, dinismiss. Isipin nyo yan.
Kababaeng tao, walanghiya pala.
The Supreme Court said that they did not declare Webb et. al. to be innocent, only that the evidence against them was weak. For that reason alone the case against them was thrown out, and rightly so. But I find their first statement baffling–isn’t the presumption of innocence the only reason why a criminal case can be dismissed in the absence of evidence, and on that principle they have implicitly declared Webb et. al. innocent by default?
On another aspect, the injustice suffered by Webb is an excellent example why trial by publicity is detrimental to our already messed-up justice system.
Anyway, congratulations to Webb et. al., for being able to breath the sweet air of freedom again, and to the Supreme Court for making yet another sound decision.
This is also good news for Mr. Vizconde. He can now work towards attaining real justice for his family.
This is also good news for Mr. Vizconde. He can now work towards attaining real justice for his family. – NFA rice
This is what I have been saying also. Vizconde should not have influenced the direction of the investigation, going to the extent of feeding NBI with his dreams wherein Carmela supposedly tells him it was Hubert Webb. But all he had were Carmela’s letters which did not even mention any of the suspects names but instead called her suitor “Kulit” who is the “son of a prominent person”. But damn, all of them in Hubert’s group were sons of prominent people! Lauro also consulted with manghuhulas, or “psychics” as he called them who for sure, got most of their info from newspapers.
I like what Hubert said in the presscon. “Kung hindi sila naniniwala sa akin na inosente ako, sabay-sabay nating ipagdasal na mamatay na sana yung gumawa.”
“Kung mapapatunayan ninyo na may hindi totoo sa mga papeles na iprinisinta namin, lalakad akong pabalik dito. Magpapakulong uli ako”.
Not the exact words, though.
The problem with Lauro Vizconde that, he made a career out of his family misfortune instead of moving on with his life.
Nagpagamit kay Dante Jimenez, who is supported by Mike Arroyo.
If he really wants closure, he should work to find the real culprit.
Mr.Vizconde was victimized by a terrible justice system that wasted his time.The lessons we can learn from the Vizconde massacre, that justice in the country runs so slow, investigating officers are blundering fools, the judges are corrupt.—–So, people need to keep clean always and stay out of crimes.My children are bit lucky ‘coz they live here,not in a country where they can be an easy target of a wacko policemen and criminals.
triggerman925 – December 15, 2010 7:10 pm
A little OT…. but will those idiots in media please stop asking the Webbs the stupid question “How do you feel?” And will they please stop asking the same annoying question to Lauro Vizconde?
Nampucha ano pa nga ba isasagot nila? Duh
Talaga naman.Ito din ang pesteng-peste ako.
triggerman925 – December 15, 2010 9:19 pm
“Wala ng pag-asa ang Lauro Vizconde na maikulong ang mga murderers”
At least may pag-asa pang makulong ang mga taong luminlang sa kanya
Agree! Agree! Yung kailangan ng listerine ang bunganga.
#164
Sino ang uunahin na makulong? Mga NBI o ang Judge?
Naka-assign ako sa Regional Police Intelligence Unit (RPIU), Camp Karingal, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City noong 2003.
Madaling araw ng gisingin ako ni SPO2 Adam Dapitan para sa isang police operation sa pamumuno ni Maj. Segundo Duran na hindi ko alam. Sa Paranaque City kami nagpunta at nag served ng Search Warrant sa dalawang bahay, sila ay sina PO3 Rodolfo Collado (pulis Paranaque) at isang sibilyan na Pineda ang apelyido. Nakakuha kami ng marijuana sa bahay ni Pineda at ilang alahas, kay PO3 Collado ay ilang alahas din ang aming nakuha. Dinala namin sa aming opisina sina Collado at Pineda at doon ko nalaman na ang operation pala namin ay kaugnay ng Vizconde Massacre. Sinasabi ng SW na kuhanin ang mga alahas para maging basehan sa naganap na Vizconde massacre. Ang nakakalungkot ayaw pumunta ni Lauro Vizconde sa aming opisina para ma-identify yung mga nakuha naming mga alahas.
Magaling ang ginawang pag-iimbestiga ng Paranaque pulis sa kasong Vizconde dahil ang totoong witness ang kanilang ginamit at ang kinasuhan ay ang grupo nina Ben Baydo (1st batch ng suspect) na kilalang Akyat Bahay Gang kaya naging mahina ang aming kaso (2nd batch) dahil ang witness din na iyon ang aming witness.
Para sa akin ay tama ang naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema na ma-absuwelto sina Huber Webb, dahil naniniwala ako na ang mga hinuli namin ang talagang salarin sa krimen. Ako mismo ang nakarinig ng umamin ang aming mga nahuli (grupo ng Paranaque pulis) sa nasabing krimen.
ngayon tapos na ang kaso at saka ka pa lang puedeng magkaso kina alfaro, kawawa ang mga kinulong nasayang ang mga panahon dahil sa frame-up.
talagang walang hustisya sa pinas. kinulong muna ng mahigit 15 taon bago mapawalang sala. ngayon masisisi nyo ba si lacson na ayaw sumuko. kaya nga sabi ko sana magkaroon pa nga maraming mga mambabatas na mabiktima ng kawalang hustisya.
pero kapag magaling kang magnakaw hindi tatalab sayo ang kaso kasi marami kang pera maraming puedeng mabili sa pinas.
Bayong,#166
Subukan niyo uling tawagan si Mr.Lauro Vizconde baka interesado na siya ngayon na kilalanin ang mga lahas.Mayroon pa siyang 6 mos.sa statute of limitation na 20 years simula ng naganap ang krimen.
#168
Mabuti na lang pala may pera sina Webb and Co at may ginastos sila sa pag apela ng kaso at umabot ng Supreme Court.Mga ibang nakulong kahit sa CA ay hindi sila maka bat at lagi na lang strike three dahil wala raw pang gasolina ang mga lawyer ng Public Defender.
yung ibang mga kakilala ko nga na talagang wala ring kasalanan 10 taon na mahigit sa kulungan nasa first stage pa lang ng formal hearing.
Iyung isang kaibigan ng kaibigan ko ng nadesisyunan ang kaso at nahatulan ay lumaya na the same day,kasi 19 years na siyang nakulong at 5 years na pagkabilango ang hatol sa kaso niyang napagbintangan nagnakaw.Buti hindi pa siya nadala sa Bilibid prison at sa Provincial jail lang siya na confine habang dinidinig ang kaso niya.Umasad ang kaso ng nagbinta ng tatlong kalabaw ang pamilya niya.
“Agree! Agree! Yung kailangan ng listerine ang bunganga.” – Ellen
😛 😛 😛 😛 😛
Parang kilala ko yung tinutukoy niyo Ms. Ellen. Minsan ko ng nakita sa Starbucks naghihigop ng kape. Hanep kung manamit, isputing na isputing kala mo New Yorker at ang gara ng SUV niya. Kakainggit. 😛
Ang nakakalungkot ayaw pumunta ni Lauro Vizconde sa aming opisina para ma-identify yung mga nakuha naming mga alahas.- bayong
mukhang nagamit at nalason talga ang utak ng matanda.. sino ba adviser ni Lauro Vizconde noon? si Cayetano, hindi ba?
tapos tong isang gagong batang Cayetano, humihirap pa:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/208448/cayetano-webb-et-al-acquittal-doesnt-mean-theyre-innocent
cont., from #173
Kaso nakalimutan niya yatang maligo kasi parang puro libag ang itsura. At naka sumbrero pa na parang kay palos. 😛
I-open daw ni de Lima ang Vizconde case ule kaya lang ang unang ipinahahanting ay sina Ventura at Filart, mukhang wala ang mata sa Akyat-bahay gang na sinasabi ni bayong.
Dapat talaga na ang fist suspects ay balikan at mag-cooperate si Lauro Vizconde this time….
@ Tongue, #160:
Yes I saw the interview too. He seemed so at peace with himself. A different kind of person compared to when I first saw him on the news almost 2 deaceds ago.
Here’s the interview with Mon Tulfo:
http://www.inquirer.net/vdo/player.php?vid=3088
Chi, I doubt if these 2 individuals Filart and Ventura even exist.
Easy to check lang kung gugustuhin if these 2 guys are real. Umpisahan lang nila sa NSO.
Mike, heto o…existing or not…
The justice chief will also discuss with the NBI the issue of the two other accused at-large, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, as well as a possible manhunt against the two fugitives from justice.
De Lima said the truth may after all rest with Filart and Ventura. http://www.abs-cbn.com
Chi, dun nga ako nagtataka. 20 years ng nakakalipas bakit nia-ha-ni-ho wala tayong balita na may sightings, napuntahan yung last known address, may nakausap na kaiban o co-workers, etc… now after more than 15 yrs at na acquit na sina Hubert saka palang nila hahanapin. Kaya nga may duda akong kung tutoo nga na may ganung mga tao. If they really exist.
Mike, hindi ko nga alam na meron palang tao na Filart at Ventura e. hehehe…
“De Lima said the truth may after all rest with Filart and Ventura”. Paano kung mahuli itong dalawa at ituro si Hubert? 🙂
Aba Chi, kung tutoong si Hubert at itinuro nga nung dalawa. Dapat ibalik sa preso. But if they used the same line and lies of Alfaro di ako maniniwala. 😛
What I mean is, if their story is with evidence and convincing and totally different from that of Alfaro’s baka pwede akong maniwala. Baka lang. 😛
Mike, tapos na ang kasong ito. Inaalo lang nila si Mang Lauro. 🙂
Tamad kasi maghanap ang mga imbestigador sa 2 suspek. Kung ayaw nila sa NSO (National Statistics Office) kahit sa facebook sila magahanap. Baka magulat sila sa dami ng lilitaw na pangalang Joey Filart at Artemio Ventura. 😛
Inimbento lang yata nila iyang pangalan na Joey Filart at Artemio Ventura na walang ID kaya di talaga nila mahanap.
@bayong: #166
Tanong ko lang ay nasaan na ang mga alahas na sinasabi mo? Pwede pa bang gamiting ebidensya kung sakaling magpa imbestiga ulit ang DOJ?
Tanong ko lang–Wala bang mga katulong ang mga Vizconde? Kung mayroon man nasaan sila nung time ng crime.
“Pls correct me if I’m wrong. Makakakuha ka ba ng driver’s license sa US pag tourist visa lang hawak mo? Anybody?” – henry90
Several months back when Tony Sibayan and wife came to the house for dinner…he was driving. It wasn’t my business to have asked him how he got his licence. It was irrelevant.
Most people, however are not privy to the fact that getting a driver’s licence is big business for every state…assorted fees for the license, you can now rent a car, purchase car insurance, buying a car (old, new, stolen, lemon), get ticketed for anything (speeding, dui – greedy atty’s make good money of that), traffic schools; and other things you can think of, of having that dreaded driver’s licence..wink!
@149: kaya raw absent kayo ni Marz, nasa luneta park daw kayo; hawak kamay, hehe….
si marz at martin.. sabay darating.. sabay din mawawala.. hmmm.. hehe…
Tanong ko lang–Wala bang mga katulong ang mga Vizconde? Kung mayroon man nasaan sila nung time ng crime.-cocoy
sabi ng SC… ayon sa affidavit.. natutulog daw at hindi nagising ng naisagawa yung krimen.. yan nga pingtataka ng SC… kung ang grupo ni webb and gumawa na 8 (ata?) miyembro.. sa liit ng bahay ng Vizconde.. imposibleng hindi magising… kaya hinala ng SC… not more than 5 ang mga gumawa ng krimen…
( paki tama na lang kung mali info ko, hehe )
Mike – December 16, 2010 1:37 pm
@bayong: #166
Tanong ko lang ay nasaan na ang mga alahas na sinasabi mo? Pwede pa bang gamiting ebidensya kung sakaling magpa imbestiga ulit ang DOJ?
kung yung specimen nga na i-DNA sana, nawala eh.. yung alahas pa kaya… hay naku asa pa… bayong, wag kang lulutang, baka sumabit ka pa, hahaha..
#189
If i’m not mistaken one can use his local driver’s license (Philippine Driver’s License in the case of Mr. Sibayan)as long as it’s still valid. One can also obtain an International Driver’s Permit if he’s a member of the PMA (Philippine Motor Association)
Tama ka Triggerman. I was able to use my Philippine license noong bagong dating ako dito sa US. There is a counter at the DMV now where foreign drivers can apply for a permit to drive in the US.
psb
Would you know up to how long i can use my local license? Sabi kasi nila up to 60 days lang from the date of arrival?
Back to topic…..
In a radio interview over DZMM this morning, Jessica Alfaro’s handler-body guard Herra (sorry his first name escapes me at the moment) was quoted as saying “matindi na ang pressure galing sa taas na tapusin na namin ang imbestigasyon” or something to that effect.
Ok so pag sinabing “taas” i can only think of 4 individuals: his immediate supervisor, the NBI director, the Justice Secretary and the President himself! Does anybody remember who the Justice Secretary was during that time? Panahon to ni FVR (1992-1998), right?
RE: Tanong ko lang–Wala bang mga katulong ang mga Vizconde? Kung mayroon man nasaan sila nung time ng crime.~cocoy
Hehehe, wala akong alam diyan ha ne! Mahirap hanapin yong nagwawalawalaan eh…nice question Igan, e nasaan nga pala ang mga kasambahay ng mga biktima during that nite ng naganap ang krimen?
Sa dami ng akusado e sure dapat ang katulong e nakita ang mga damuho di ba?
Ayan na Ellen, sumawsaw na rin si Acosta, kawawa talaga yang si Mang Lauro. Pasusukahin ng kwarta, kung may natitira pa.
triggerman, If I’m not mistaken, there were 3 NBI directors who died one after the other while holding that office. One was the Director at the time this case was filed. He died 2 weeks after filing the case against Hubert. I saw that in Che-che Lazaro’s “Dalawang Mukha ng Hustisya”. Another one was Federico Opinion. The third one was our company’s former labor lawyer. I only remember his first name as Boying.
I just checked with Wikipedia. The NBI Directorial post is an appointment with death. It’s Dir. Antonio Aragon who died after filing The Vizconde case (1995). Dir. Santiago “Boying” Toledo died during Erap’s term (1999). While Dir. Federico Opinion who was appointed by Erap to succeed Toledo also died in 2000.
And what do you know, there was a fourth one. Dir. Reynaldo Wycoco also died holding the same post in 2005.
These facts makes the hair on my nape stand.
Secretaries of Justice at the time of the Vizconde Massacre investigation and filing:
Franklin M. Drilon January 4, 1990 to July 14, 1991
Silvestre H. Bello III July 15, 1991 to February 6, 1992
Eduardo G. Montenegro February 10, 1992 to June 30, 1992
Franklin M. Drilon July 1, 1992 to February 2, 1995
Demetrio G. Demetria February 3, 1995 to May 19, 1995
Teofisto T. Guingona, Jr. May 20, 1995 to February 3, 1998
Silvestre H. Bello III February 4, 1998 to June 30, 1998
Serafin R. Cuevas July 1, 1998 to February 15, 2000
Antonio G. Toquero February 16, 2000 to January 22, 2001
Thanks TonGuE-tWisTeD for the info. Sorry too lazy to do research – bagal kasi ng internet connection ko.
Anyways if they do re-open the case i think it would make sense to start with the Paranaque police who had custody over the Akyat Bahay Gang. What is really odd is Lauro Vizconde’s stubborn refusal too look at this angle
@Tongue:
Kaya pala di ko mahanap yung mga pina paresearch sa akin ng aking anak, sa Wikileaks ako naghahanap. Dapat nga pala sa Wikipedia. Hehehe 😛
@Triggerman, #202:
Meron kasing mga demonyong nakapaligid kay Mang Lauro at hinuhuthutan at sinusulsulan siya para isiping si Webb nga ang may kasalanan. Mga taong may pang sariling agenda. Yung isa nga dyan di daw nagtu-toothbrush according to Ms. Ellen. 😛
ang mga alahas si spo2 dapitan ang nagtago ewan ko ko nasa kanya pa, sa camp karingal nakatira si dapitan. kaya naman namin kinuha yon base sa statement ng deponent na kinuha ng mga suspect ang alahas at pinaghatian. 1993 nung ginawa namin ang operasyon ang kotse ni pineda na nahuli naman ang daming pa ring mga news clipping ng vizconde sa compartment ng kotse nya. kawawang webb napaglaruan ng mga duwende. sabi ko nga ang maganda rito mga mambabatas ang biktima ng injustice.
hindi yung akyat bahay (ben baydo’s group) ang gumawa non mga fallguy din yon kagagawan ng mga pulis paranaque, isang patunay di ba si biong (pulis paranaque) sinunog ang mga ebidensya. ang pinakamagandang tanungin nila ang dating chief of police paranaque gen. pureza) na naging commissioner ng napolcom kung gusto nila malutas ang vizconde massacre.
Aba, e dalian ng DOJ na tanungin si Gen. Pureza…baka mautas din sya!
Kawawa nga si Vizconde.
Ang problema kasi sa kanya, kinarir niya ang trahedya. He didn’t move on. he made a career out of his misfortune.
Paano kasi nakinig siya kina Dante whose organization was anchored on that case. panno ngayon yan? No more funding for them. kaya galit na galit.
Remember, Mike Arroyo supported Jimenez group. That’s why Vizconde was given a position in Pagcor.
Ellen, I think Dante did that too… made a career out of his brother’s death.
Oo nga, Ellen. Nagpakasarap sila panahon ni Gloria at Mike Pidal. Inaalibadbaran ako nun everytime na mabalita ang ‘lambingan’ ni Jimenez at Mike (kahit katiting lang ang alam ko sa Visconde massacre).
Vizconde’s search for justice for his murdered family was sidelined because of his association with the person who needs listeren, nagamit ng todo ang kaso para pagkaperahan, nabuyo rin sya sa kinang ng power ng mag-asawang user, Pagcor position ba naman e. Wasted years for him to know the truth. Bibitiwan na rin sya ni Dante, he’s a useless pagkakaperahan na.
Mike, sama-sama sila sa career using their deads, propaganda points naman sa mag-asawang korap. What a sadder than sad story of Mang Lauro.
Halos sabay sabay ang mga desisyon ng hukoman tungkol sa kaso ni Hubert Webb at ng mga Magdalo. Habang abala ang mga tao tungkol jan ay sinamantala naman ng mga bata ni Noynoy na tanggalin ang protective clause sa 21 Billion pesos CCT para manakaw nila ang pera ng bayan.
Ang galing ng timing ng pekeng presidente ninyo, puweeeee.
#165
2003 ng isinilbi nyo ang SWarrant? Walong taon pagkatapos ng murders? Hindi naman nakaka gulat na ang mga alahas ay mapunta sa mga pulis. Ganun talaga sa atin. Nawawala ang mga mahahalagang bagay sa imbestigasyon. Kung na aksidente ka nga sa kotse, pag dating mo sa ospital, wala na wallet mo. MO na yun na nakawin ang mga alahas para ang angulo ay robbery murder. May pina amin, ok sana kung hindi naging sensational ang kaso, mabuti nasa bilibid, kakain sya ng tatlong beses.
“Pls correct me if I’m wrong. Makakakuha ka ba ng driver’s license sa US pag tourist visa lang hawak mo? Anybody?” – henry90
Mang Henry, halos pareho ng year ng dumating kami ni Hubert dito sa California. During that time, hindi pa mahirap kumuha ng SSN. Hahanapan ka ng SSN para ka makakuha ng CDL . Makakakuha ka lang ng actual driving test kung pasa ka sa written test at valid pa ang stay mo sa states. Usually, 6 months kung magbigay sa port of entry (tourist ) and you can apply for an extension for another 6 months.
Ngayon, hindi na pwede yun (lisensya). If you are a tourist, you have to show your driver’s license from your county of origin and the California DMV will issue an International Drivers License with a validity based on your Visa.
Anna, hindi ko alam kung papaano nakakakuha ng lisensya yung Europeans dito sa California if they are not legal residents. Taga DMV po ang asawa ko.
here’s the website to check out so you don’t get all those inaccurate and outdated information about securing a driver’s license in california(resident, student, tourist, etc.):
http://www.dmv.ca.gov
ang daming nahawakan nitong mga arroyong ito na nagkaletseletse na…dapat sila naman ang makulong, sige na naman, kahit isang taon na lang payag na ako…
Pulis, pulis, pulis. Pulis na matulis.
Pag wala iyang tulis, hindi iyan pulis.
Sila Hubert nga kaya? O akyat bahay gang? O Akyat bahay gang na pulis? Hehehehehehehe!!!
Fr. Joaquin Bernas on SC decision on Webb case
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101217-309419/Fr-Bernas-on-SC-decision-on-Webb-case
I absolutely agree with Father Bernas that it is very difficult to falsify airline tickets and immigration stamps lalo na kung sa US immigration ang pinaguusapan. Unless Webb was super skilled na may gumamit ng passport niya at ticket niya undetected by the immigration officer. Noong 1991, hindi pa uso na pinophotograph ang bawat dumarating sa US immigration. Ngayon, lahat na ng dumadaan sa immigration, kinukuhanan na ng picture pati na ng finger print. But in the early 1990s, pwede pang makalusot ang Webb look alike.
Motion for recon daw, sabi ni Persida Rueda Acosta. She cites the case of Rolando Galman, where, even after an acquittal by the Sandiganbayan, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial.
The difference is, in that case, the Supreme Court said that the trial was a sham trial, because the results were dictated by Macoy to Manuel Pamaran, through Macoy’s coordinator, Manuel Lazaro. Since the trial was rigged towards an acquittal, the accused were never in jeopardy. For one to invoke double jeopardy, there must be a first jeopardy. There was none in the case of Fabian Ver and his boys.
Sayang. This woman was number five to Gibo’s number one in the 1989 bar. Tumigil na ba ang development after the bar? Yun na ba ang plateau niya?
Hindi naman tumigil and development, sax.
Sa ngayon ay frequent guest siya sa TV show ni Amy Perez na a la-Jerry Springer ang format. Pagkatapos magmurahan at magsabunutan ang mga “guests”, siya ang nagbibigay ng legal opinion. Yan ang papel niya ngayon sa buhay. Lol.
Teka, yung MR ng Vizconde, PAO daw ang hahawak. Bakeeet??? Indigent ba si Lauro? Marginalized ba siya? Bakit di niya isangla o ibenta yung bahay niya sa BF para panggastos niya sa kaso?
Ang daming naghihintay ng libreng tulong-legal na mahihirap, ibibigay pa doon sa may kaya.
Namputa naman talaga, o…
Sana tigilan na nila si Mang Lauro na paaasahin na naman.
Anong MR Sa palagay ba nila pakikingan sila ng korte? Kailangan may ma i presenta sila bagong discovery at matibay na evidence,kung wala that is very difficult to prevail.. Many judges simply view motions for reconsideration as an opportunity for an unhappy litigant to air their positions and re-litigate issues that have already been decided. Hindi na mababago ang desisyon ng pitong judge ng SC na baligtarin ang sarili nila.
Motion for Reconsideration are an unnecessary duplication of the court time and counsel fees to the client.
Of Course! they are entitled to File MR, pero what’s the outcome?
Baka may ambition na maging senadora si Persida Rueda Acosta.hahaha!
Parang may mali yata dito kay Acosta, di ba ang PAO is a Public Attorney’s Office. They are a Public Defender. Akusado ba si Lauro Vizconde dito sa kasong ito.Ang pagkakaalam kong function ng PAO ay A public defender is a lawyer appointed by a court to represent a person accused of a crime who is unable to pay for a lawyer.Sino ba ang akusado?
In a criminal trial, the prosecutor or district attorney will represent the government and the public defender will represent the accused.
Kamag-anak ni Lauro si Acosta, both by consanguinity and affinity via intermarriages.
Pwede rin yatang PAO ang tumulong sa isang nagrereklamo kung walang pambayad ng abugado.
Pero si Lauro, indigent? Juicekupo! Association dues lang sa BF (kung meron gaya sa ibang comparable villages) pansuweldo na ng PAO. Yung negosyo niya sa Amerika, sarado na ba?
Pambihira talaga, ang daming nakakulong sa Pasay City Jail di nabibistahan dahil walang abugado yung mga akusado, eto nagbo-volunteer kay Vizconde!
#223
Ganun ba Tongue..
Interesting excerpt from a recent interview before the acquittal (from mb.com.ph):
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/292379/volunteers-against-crime-and-corruption-chairman-lauro-vizconde-blue-christmas
SCB: May message po ba kayo kay Freddie Webb ngayong Pasko?
LV: Oo. Sana to respect whatever decision that we will get from the Supreme Court. And sana bago kayo mag akusa ng mga tao, tingnan niyo muna kung kayo’y may basehan, batayan kasi ako pag nagsalita sa publiko I see to it na may pinanghahawakan ako, may testigo ako. What I’ve been praying is to respect the Supreme Court decision, tanggapin namin ng wala nang sasabihin.
Webb did not present his original passport, only copies. It is not impossible to go back and forth to the US in less than 36hrs. Meron nag tanong kung puede ka sa US with a tourist visa for 2 years. Legally no. Max is six months plus another 6 months extension. You can if you leave the US and go back again. That doesnt include mexico or canada.
Dante Jimenez quits as head of VACC, but will remain as member. Tsk, tsk.. nagpapatawa yata. Tatatlo lang yata ang active members nila eh. LOL
Magtatago na rin yata iyang si Dante Jimenez dahil hinahanap na siya ng mga Justices ng SC na pinagmumura niya.
Webb lawyers did present original passport and docs. to the court. Those who claimed that they didn’t were lying.
It is common practice, both in government and private transactions, to PRESENT original documents and then submit certified true copies. It’s a natural thing for a person to keep possession of his original document (as i always do).
What happens if he submitted the original passport then got conveniently lost just like the semen sample?
One thing we’ve learned from this, government agencies can easily “misplace” documents and evidences without anybody being held accountable. Kaya it’s always best to keep the original
@triggerman (#230):
It’s good practice to keep the original docs and submit certified true copies instead. Travel docs especially. These may be needed in case of emergency and I wouldn’t want my originals in the hands of perjurers and fabricators.
E kung tatakan ng entry days before the murder and exit, days after, e di nagkaletse-lesta na ang depensa mo. Ano’ng habol mo kung ang kopya mo e xerox lang?
Kapag may ilegal na ginawa sa gobyerno, nawawala ang papeles. Naaalala pa ba ninyo yung kontratang pinirmahan ni Gloria sa China para sa NBN-ZTE? Diba nawala daw sa hotel?
http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/december2010/176389_villarama.htm
“It is worthy of note I note that the original of Webb’s passport was not offered in evidence and made part of the records, which only gives credence to the prosecution’s allegation that it bore signs of tampering and irregularities. “
#233
“…the prosecution “did not bother to present evidence to impeach the entries in Webb’s passport and the certifications of the Philippine and the US immigration services regarding his travel to the US and back.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101215-308970/SC-acquits-Webb-et-al
“The passport of accused-appellant Webb produced in evidence, and the inscriptions appearing thereon, also offer little support of Webb’s alibi. Be it noted that what appears on record is only the photocopy of the pages of Webb’s passport. The Court therefore can only rely on the appreciation of the trial court as regards the authenticity of the passport and the marks appearing thereon, as it is the trial court that had the exclusive opportunity to view at first hand the original of the document, and determine for itself whether the same is entitled to any weight in evidence.”
“the travel documents certifying that hubert webb was in the US were not procured by the webbs, they were requested for by the philippine govt, from the us govt, signed by sec of state madeleine albright and attested to by domingo siazon and consul leo herrera lim. documents from the fbi were sent directly to then nbi director mison. these documents sent were even hidden by the prosecution from the defense. the prosecution never bothered to refute these documents because they knew they were real.”
Since Day 1 up to the time the SC released its final decision, Webb et al enjoyed the presumption of innocence while in detention (albeit for a long period of time). A contrary presumption was not proven in Court.
Associate Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno writes:
“Better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer,” says English jurist William Blackstone.