Supreme Court acquits Webb, et al

[black_mamba]

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running out of time na... 20 yrs ra kutob....

[sharkey360]

So Hubert Webb Was Acquitted, Part 1

Where were you when you heard the news? I was seated at my desk, reviewing a document, when a tiny notification from Twitter informed me that the Supreme Court had acquitted Hubert Webb and his co-accused.

And where was I when I heard the news about what was going to be called the Vizconde Massacre? I was in school, most probably; I was a high school sophomore. I definitely heard it first by word of mouth. Our school was in a village beside the village the Vizcondes lived in. Some of the students in our school were their neighbors.

There's something about that time and the heinous crimes that were committed on young people during that time that marked my generation. The word "heinous" was brought to me by the 1990s.

In June of 1991, there was the Vizconde Massacre, which took the life of Carmela, 18, and her sister Jennifer, 7, and their mother. In July of that same year, there was Eldon Maguan, 25, shot in a traffic altercation by Rolito Go. Days later, Maureen Hultman, 16, and her friend Roland John Chapman, lost their lives to Claudio Teehankee, Jr., who shot them for no apparent reason. Two years after, Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, both UP Los Baños students, were abducted and killed by the men of Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna. Four years later, there was the Chiong rape-murder case in Cebu.

All these cases were played up in the media. All of them had alleged perpetrators perceived to be upperclass, to be powerful. Incidentally, all the accused in these cases were found guilty.

You can just imagine how scared everyone was and how worried parents were and how sheltered many children had to be. My sister, upon hearing strange noises outside our house, once put knives under her pillow. I would wake up in the middle of the night, imagining intruders climbing our gates and breaking into our house, and shiver in fear until daylight.

Terribly fearful times, but, when I think about it now, it was more because we had so few streams of information. We only relied on what media delivered to us, and we based our judgments on what was available. And what was available was only what people would buy.

I remember first believing Hubert Webb and his co-accused were guilty. This broke my heart because Jason Webb was a popular UAAP basketball player at the time. The first instance of doubt entered my mind when I read that star witness Jessica Alfaro was flouting NBI rules, partying even on supposed witness protection, and hooking up with one of the NBI agents. But then, Hubert and his co-accused were found guilty, and that was that.

Some months ago, I saw "Dalawang Mukha Ng Hustisya" on Cheche Lazaro Presents. It told the stories of the Webb family and the Vizconde family and how they were coping with the aftermath of the Vizconde Massacre. It was a jolt back into that fearful decade as much as it was a re-framing of a hazy picture of a powerful, abusive Webb family. Freddie, the father, was a senator then. Now, he was clearly a father faithfully fighting for a truth he believed in.

Some weeks ago, I happened upon the Justice for Hubert Webb page on Facebook. I decided to read up on the links that were posted there and soon found myself unconvinced that Hubert was indeed guilty beyond reasonable doubt. We want to get the truth out, said Fritz Webb and a family friend who managed the page.

It was an information campaign to help gather public sympathy for Hubert, and the public that had stayed silent when he was sentenced to prison responded. Traditional media couldn't drown out social media this time.

So Hubert Webb Was Acquitted, Part 1 - CHANNEL SURFING By Althea Lauren Ricardo | The Freeman >> The Freeman Sections >> Cebu Entertainment

[KateDaGreatest]

I read the entire resolution of the case and it made sense to me.
The court based their decision on the presented evidence.
They may not be necessarily innocent, but the evidences shown proved otherwise.
People are so quick on blaming the SC with all the notions that the decision was indeed wrong.
Maybe you should take it on the prosecution?
I have learned from my Debate Professor (who is a lawyer) that if you are accusing someone, it's always your job to prove that the accusations are true.

[masakiton]

I read the entire resolution of the case and it made sense to me.
The court based their decision on the presented evidence.
They may not be necessarily innocent, but the evidences shown proved otherwise.
People are so quick on blaming the SC with all the notions that the decision was indeed wrong.
Maybe you should take it on the prosecution?
I have learned from my Debate Professor (who is a lawyer) that if you are accusing someone, it's always your job to prove that the accusations are true.

sakto .. based on facts dili personal emotion

[KateDaGreatest]

Wa koy gidapigan na side ani ha.
Ang ako lang kay nibasa ra sad ko sa ruling. And from there, I gave out my opinion.
Basin naa na sad mga tao ngari nga grabi kayu mu point out sa imung opinion kay grabi kayu sila ni feel for one side.
It's sad how one continues to bash something when in fact they're not doing anything to make it better.

[tophat]

acquitted man kaha gud...aw cge. sila may magbuot. maski mag unsa pa ato isulti diri, libre na sila. merry christmas na lang.

[mimigs]

now back to square one lets see how the corrupt PNP and NBI handle this case again

[daredavid]

Mao pud ni akong masulti about ani nga issue, i'll jump to the bandwagon na lang kay total mao man ni ang nag una nga issue karon ug sure ko nga headline ni ugma sa tanan newspapers nationwide. Hehehe..

Justice is not about sympathy man gud, it's about weighing evidences . ibutang ta lang nga luoy si Mr. Vzconde, Ok luoy siya naa nko diha, pero bisan unsaon ug tan-aw kay mas lig-on man gud ug evidence ang defense panel so dapat lang jud i-acquit ang mga suspect kay unfair man pud sa ilang side nga mas lig-on ug mas katuohan ilang mga ebidensya nya i-incarcerate gihapon sila.

I'm not saying that Hubert and all his co-accused are innocent, all I say is that lig-on jud ilang ebidensya compared sa mga ebidensya sa prosecution so dapat lang jud sila ma acquit kung legalities lang jud ang ipatuman. Just my two cents!

[loysters]

ipa barang nalang na kung kinsa man jud ang killers oi..mas reliable pa man cguro..barato pa..di pa maabtan 15 years....

[peewee_toot]

wala d i sila mo gamit og lie detector?