Original subtitles

Court en banc has acquitted Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, Antonio Lejano...

'There is no more justice in this country!'

I heard the actual voice recording of Helen and the children.

It was heart-wrenching.

My three brothers got involved in illegal drugs.

They were sentenced to life in prison.

They are now at the national penitentiary.

We are thankful that the truth came out.

From the start, we know we’re innocent.

The '90s.

A time of change and challenges for the Philippines.

In the news: contoversy, tragedy and crime.

There was still no internet or social media.

As President of the Philippines...

Television, radio, newspapers

and films reigned as top information sources.

We are very excited to have the pageant in Philippines.

Long live the Philippines.

If you're a '90s baby'...

Chances are you've heard of these stories.

Crimes so gruesome...

you'd think they only happen in the movies.

"Help us! Help us!"

Don't!

The ‘Massacre Movies’ trend began

with the gruesome murders of the Vizcondes.

The case had police baffled as there were no signs of a break-in.

June 30, 1991

Found slain in a gated village in Parañaque were

Estrellita, 47 years old…

Carmela, 19…

And Jennifer, seven years old.

The Vizconde matriarch sustained 12 stab wounds.

The little girl suffered 19 stab wounds…

while Carmela was stabbed nine times after she was raped.

The grieving patriarch, Lauro Vizconde,

worked in the United States, and just arrived.

He has made it his life mission to seek justice for his family.

I believe more witnesses will come forward

to complete the missing link in this heinous crime.

Rodel Vizconde witnessed

how his uncle fervently pursued the case, and the suspects.

The police could not identify any suspect.

They even presented two groups of fall guys.

"Please! Don't hurt our children!"

The police is still looking for suspects...

No suspects.

The case has the police baffled...

No fingerprints.

No evidence.

No witnesses.

Everything was quiet after that,

and it seemed that the Vizconde case

would never be solved.

Then came Jessica Alfaro…

Who claimed to have witnessed the Vizconde Massacre.

"In a press conference,

Jessica Alfaro identified eight men allegedly involved in the crime..."

Four years after the crime…

The prosecution team’s proclaimed ‘star witness’

identified the alleged culprits…

most of whom came from influential families.

"Mr. Hubert Webb is here, your honor."

The name that stood out

then 26-year-old Hubert Webb,

son of incumbent Senator Freddie Webb.

Jessica identified Hubert as the alleged mastermind.

“At this point, I really don’t care who believes me.”

That's it.

I've came out to the open.

It's all up to them if they want to believe.

But eventually, the truth will come out.

Before the end of 1995, the so-called ‘Trial of the Century’ began.

I won't ever forget their lifeless bodies...

And so did three films about the Vizconde Massacre.

The wheels of justice turned for Carmela, Jennifer

and Estrellita Vizconde.

...The principal accused guilty,

beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide...

Hubert Webb and his co-accused were sentenced to life in prison

for the crime of rape with homicide.

In 2005, the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

But in 2010,

"Court en banc in a vote of 7-4 has acquitted

Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, Antonio Lejano,

Michael Gatchalian, Hospicio Fernandez,

Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada

and Gerardo Biong for failure of the prosecution..."

The Supreme Court acquitted all suspects.

Hubert’s alibi that he was in the United States was solid.

“We are thankful that the truth came out.

From the start, we know we’re innocent and we believed in the justice system.

We did not flee. We did not buy our way out.

We’re all here.

15 years.

We accepted our fate for 15 years!”

“There’s no justice in this country!”

"Mr. Vizconde, can we get your statement?"

"I have nothing further to say.

Just let me be."

My uncle, Lauro, lost all confidence and trust in the Supreme Court.

"This is devastating."

"Will you still seek justice for your family?"

"Where will I find it? Who do I pursue?

The court has set the real criminals free!"

He was so disappointed,

he lost the will to live.

There was no chance to appeal.

He just deteriorated.

Lauro Vizconde died in 2016.

Jessica Alfaro now lives abroad.

Hubert Webb and his co-accused had to start over,

after losing 15 years of their lives in jail.

In the end, this bungalow

on 80 Vinzons St., BF Homes, Parañaque

remains the only witness to a crime that shook a nation, 30 years ago.

A grisly crime also took place inside this house in Lipa, Batangas.

Like Lauro Vizconde,

Ronald Arandia came home from overseas to find his family murdered…

His wife Helen, and daughters Chelsea and Geleen…

on April 9, 1994.

"I hoped we'll never be apart. I am nervous..."

Seasoned actress Vilma Santos

played Helen Arandia in the film.

They put me in a coffin. I was so nervous!

That was my first time to lay in a casket.

"This is an offering, so the culprit comes forward..."

True-to-life movies have to be accurate,

even if minor adjustments like cinematic effects have to be made.

The emotions she felt shooting the film

are still vivid for the ‘Star for All Seasons.’

The massacre scene was terrifying, while we were shooting it.

All I could think of was, can this really happen in real life?

I heard the actual voice recording of Helen and the children.

It was heart-wrenching.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic."

A few years after the movie was shown,

Vilma Santos became mayor of Lipa, Batangas…

and met the primary suspect in the massacre, Elmer Palicpic.

He was at the Lipa police station.

I said, ‘So, you’re Palicpic.

Did you really kill the Arandias?’

He denied it.

But at the end of the day, he was convicted for the crime.

He was jailed in Lipa,

then transferred to the national penitentiary.

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

And so, justice has been served.

Life went on for Ronald Arandia and Helen’s relatives.

"Mayor, this is the first time in Lipa's history

that something this dreadful happened."

The Arandia and Vizconde massacres

were just two cases that gripped the nation.

"Such impassioned statement from Ms. Alfaro...

do you believe this witness?"

Even before trials began,

these true stories made their way to the big screen.

And they were ‘blockbusters.’

The institutions of TV news and cinema are just there

while the cases are tried.

These discussions build expectations about the justice system.

Carlo Caparas stood out in this genre.

He brought back to life the greatest, most celebrated crime stories

of Philippine popular culture.

"Only critics brand my work as massacre films.

I call them ‘justice films’

because the subjects are the victims themselves.”

Carlo J. Caparas also helmed ‘The Maggie Dela Riva Story’...

A crime committed in 1967, and re-told in a movie during the Nineties.

"This week, two films opened in Metro Manila movie houses.

These stories were sensational."

"Film producers did not find it hard to attract a lot of viewers."

"Should movies be allowed to screen while a criminal case is being tried?"

Blood and violence were staples in the films of Carlo J. Caparas.

I’ve shown that a filmmaker can help turn the wheels of justice.

He raped me here!

The Maggie Dela Riva Story, directed by Carlo J. Caparas.

"You're just an actress. You act so high and mighty!"

Aside from the Vizconde and Arandia massacres,

he also directed a film about a rising star

from the '70s named Maggie Dela Riva.

Maggie was kidnapped, tortured and raped by four men in 1967.

The suspects came from prominent clans.

"Let them pay, Maggie! Let them pay with their lives!

They deserve the electric chair!"

Sentenced to death were Jaime Jose,

Basilio Pineda Jr., Edgardo Aquino, and Rogelio Cañal.

Cañal died in 1971 while in prison.

"I kept on asking why, why me?"

The three other convicts were executed by electrocution.

There was a man who had the audacity to approach me after the executions.

He said,

‘How do you feel being responsible for the death of four men?’

Is he kidding? I said I’m not responsible for the death of four men.

They did this to themselves.

They had a choice, do good or do evil. They chose to do evil.

They had to accept the consequences of their actions.

February 5, the day of Leo Echegaray's execution.

But will his death really solve this heinous crime?

“Whether I die or I live. It’s all God’s will.

The ultimate justice is with God.”

"I'm just numb after what happened. How could he do this to our daughter?"

Leo Echegaray was also sentenced to death

for raping his ten years old stepdaughter in 1994.

We should be firm on our decision.

He was the first Filipino sentenced to die

by lethal injection, upon the death penalty’s reimposition in 1993.

Former ABS-CBN reporter Mon Ilagan distinctly remembers

Echegaray’s execution on February 5, 1999.

A glass separated the gas chamber and the area where spectators sat.

The chamber was three to four meters away, audio speakers were all over.

I was seated in the middle.

In the gas chamber, we could see the gurney, covered in white cloth.

There was a telephone.

The IV lines hung ready while a priest waited inside.

At 2:47 PM, Echegaray was brought in. He gave a brief statement.

He laid on the gurney at 3 o’clock. By 3:19 PM,

Leo Echegaray was pronounced dead.

In 2006, the Philippines abolished the death penalty.

Since capital punishment had been abolished,

the sentence of Paco Larrañaga and his six co-accused were commuted in 1999.

They were earlier convicted for the 1997 rape and murder

of the Chiong sisters in Cebu.

Two of the accused belong to Cebu's prominent Aznar and Osmeña family...

The offenders, who belonged to influential families

stood trial for the death of Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong.

But to this day, they claim innocence.

So I was raising my hand, your Honor I would like to take a stand, your Honor.

He just looked at me and said 'no, no.'

If I didn't have the handcuffs, I'd walk straight to the witness stand

and sit down there.

No matter what happens. I want to say that I'm innocent.

I deserve it because that's my right.

It has been a year and nine months

since the Chiong sisters were abducted.

Paco Larrañaga brought his quest for justice in the documentary film

‘Give Up Tomorrow’.

The Chiongs, on the other hand

told their story in the movie ‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ in 2018.

"wherefore all the accused are hereby found guilty beyond reasonable doubt..."

This was a complicated and mysterious case.

"...she was gang-raped."

Only Marijoy’s body had been found.

The case’s judge died by suicide for unknown reasons.

I have done my part already. I've done so much for my part.

What more could I do. Right? It's very painful.

Some of the convicts remained in the national penitentiary.

They would have been eligible

for the government’s Good Conduct Time Allowance Law (GCTA),

but it fizzled out.

The mayor has now exchanged his all white attire

for the familiar orange uniform of Muntinlupa.

In 2019, former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez

came close to benefitting from the GCTA,

or early release for time served.

Seven counts of reclusion perpetua which means 210 years.

But it was met with protests.

Guilty beyond reasonable doubt of all the charges against him.

In March 1995, Sanchez and six others were sentenced

to seven counts of ‘reclusion perpetua’,

almost permanent imprisonment.

"We are innocent, damn it!"

Sanchez is the primary culprit in the rape and murder

of University of the Philippines Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta,

And the killing of her friend Allan Gomez on June 29, 1993.

"The should not be quick to judge Mayor Sanchez."

Until his death,

Sanchez believed he is innocent,

and should not have been punished.

"The verdict would serve as an eye opener

to people who are abusing their power."

"I am not involved."

Even with a Court order, Mayor Sanchez refused to pay the victims’ families

Over 12 million pesos in damages.

"We convene today this National Summit on Peace and Order

to assess our peace and order situation."

"Kidnappings, roberries, and other grave crimes do occur in our society."

The Nineties were violent times.

Films and news reports may have reflected

the fear felt during those years.

Massacre films and even reports of heinous crimes

are manifestations of social anxiety at a specific period of time.

Overseas,

News about Filipinos are also causing fear back home.

Pursue justice for Flor Contemplacion.

In the Nineties, fear and anger gripped Filipinos

when news came out about Flor Contemplacion.

Flor was an Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW in Singapore

who was executed for allegedly killing Delia Maga and her ward.

Flor Contemplacion’s story was turned into film in 1995.

Multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan

provided a narrative to the tragedy.

"Ma!"

- "Sit! Just, sit!" - "Ma!"

“The movie is about an overseas Filipino worker.

Vic (Del Rosario), film producer, talked to me

about research. I called in Ricky Lee and Bonifacio Ilagan (screenwriters).

The three of us identified which parts of Flor’s life will go into the film.”

Actress and ‘Superstar’ Nora Aunor was selected as lead.

Nora is the biggest star of her generation.

She has even gained international acclaim for her acting.”

"Let me go!"

It was a challenging film for Joel and Nora.

Unlike the success stories of other OFWs,

Flor Contemplacion’s fate went the other way.

"Bye, mom."

To support her family, Flor left San Pablo, Laguna to work

as a domestic helper in Singapore in 1988.

My father’s income then wasn’t just enough.

"You'll write to me everyday, okay?"

I can’t blame my mother for wanting

to give us a better future by working abroad."

It’s just unfortunate that Mama’s fate was like that.”

On May 4, 1991…

Domestic helper Delia Maga was found murdered

in a Singapore apartment.

Also found drowned in a pail was her three-year-old ward.

Police found a lead in Delia Maga’s diary.

Flor Contemplacion became the primary suspect.

Flor allegedly owned up to the crime after her arrest.

Delia was about to go on a vacation in the Philippines.

She refused to bring Flor’s care package for her family.

After an argument, Flor supposedly killed Delia…

And went on to kill the child, Nicholas.

"I told you, I did not kill anybody!"

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Flor faced double murder charges.

After three days of trial, she was sentenced to death.

“Imagine,

from 1991 to early 1995, there was no public attention on her case.

It was only when Flor was about to be executed

when the case went public.

Back in the Philippines,

there were street protests to pressure Singapore to stop the execution.

"The government only moved at the last minute."

Flor Contemplacion became a symbol of the fate of OFWs

abused by their foreign employers...

and abandoned by the Philippine government who can't protect them.

"We were there the whole time --

Two years of investigation..."

"and according to our consul general,

she did not deny, participation in the beginning."

According to the Singapore government,

the death sentence will only be delayed

if Flor would recant her original statement that she did it.

But she did not recant.

On March 17, 1995…

"Justice for Flor!"

While thousands of Filipinos prayed for a miracle,

"Pray for us, oh merciful Virgin... Pray for us."

Flor Contemplacion was executed by hanging.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death..."

"Mama Flor!"

Delia Maga’s husband was in my mother’s wake for days.

He also did not believe my mom can kill his wife…

that a woman can commit such a crime.

The Magas themselves were surprised by the autopsy findings.

Three months after Flor was executed,

Viva Films released ‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’.

In this movie version, Flor was innocent.

When the film was shown at the International Festival in Toronto,

A Singaporean stood up and said, ‘Your film is not true!’

Your film is not true. That is not the truth!

So I said, This is my truth and this is the Filipino truth.

If you would like to have your own story,

why don't you make your own film based on a Singaporean opinion?

But this is our truth.

This is the truth that I believed in.

There was a scene in the film where Flor’s children visited her

at Changi Prison.

There was a glass divider.

Flor was trying to embrace her kids and vice versa.

That simple scene demonstrated the kind of mother Flor was.

Because despite of all the struggles

she have been through, all her problems,

the only thing that matters to her is to see and embrace her children.

‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’ was a big hit…

But tragedy struck Flor’s family again.

My three brothers got involved in illegal drugs.

They were sentenced to life in prison.

They are now at the national penitentiary.

They’ve been there for 13 years.

My eldest brother died while in prison.

If Mama were here, if she did not leave the country,

this would not have happened to my family.

The story of Flor Contemplacion

brought to fore the plight of overseas Filipino workers.

When we talk about justice, we should talk about

why Filipinos are forced to go abroad.

There’s not enough opportunity for them here.

That fact alone is an injustice to them.

There are still OFWs being beaten up.

There are those who go home in a box, killed,

will never saw justice served.

I hope there will come a time when Filipinos don’t ever have

to go overseas to work.

We do not need these stories.

"Justice for Flor!"

"...beyond reasonable doubt, guilty of robbery and murder."

"Innocent! The accusations are false!"

Order!

"He didn't do anything wrong!"

Order in the court!

In films, justice is almost always served.

"Believe me, I am innocent!"

But that’s not the case in real life.

Some crime cases take several years to solve.

In every unlawful act, there is a crime scene…

where pieces of evidence pointing to suspects are.

Evidence in the Vizconde massacre were burned.

"It is regrettable that there is no evidence, they burned it..."

"They completely destroyed evidence

that could point to the culprits of this murder."

This court hereby finds all the principal acused, guilty!

Even without evidence, the case went to trial.

To suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua

"I think this is a very strong case,

and we did not even search for Jessica,

she came forward on her own."

"Her conscience bothered her that's why she came forward."

"Do you have a lover among this four?

Yes, Peter Estrada."

"Who raped the victim first?"

"Who participated in the rape and the stabbing incident

based on your statement?"

"Hubert and Tony Boy."

When Jessica Alfaro surfaced,

the defense team put her credibility in question.

Let’s distinguish evidence.

There’s the eye-witness testimonies or narratives...

...which are valuable because they are the first-hand statements.

...although these can also be weak since we do not know...

if witnesses are telling the truth or are being objective.

"That woman does not know my son.

Her description was far from the description of my son!"

Their alibi did not pass.

It was a controversial investigation and trial.

"...the principal accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt

...and hereby sentences each of them

to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua."

The suspects' appeals even reached the Supreme Court.

The Webbs camp asked the High Tribunal

for a DNA test to see if semen found in Carmela Vizconde

was that of Hurbert's.

The semen sample found in Carmela's body went missing.

The NBI and the Court both denied responsibility for the lost evidence.

The Webb family is going to file a motion to cite

any of these two entities for contemt for having lost the evidence.

It's the complete prejudice of the accused Hubert Webb.

"Imagine 20 years after my family's murder?"

"Is this the kind of justice we have in the Philippines?"

"I'm old, I'm already tired of expecting."

Lauro Vizconde’s 20-year wait for justice was in vain.

"Court en banc has acquitted

Hubert Jeffrey T. Webb, Antonio Lejano

“My world has fallen apart!"

There’s no more justice in this country!”

"Mr. Vizconde, can we get your statement?"

"I have nothing more to say.

Let me be..."

"My God!

Where do we find justice now?"

Dr. De Ungria believes if forensic science

was used in the Vizconde massacre case and other crimes,

the investigations could have been more accurate and the justice swift.

Forensic DNA

is key in the investigation of crimes involving rape.

The National Bureau of Investigation

agrees science and technology are important.

Technology has evolved

because of the existence of the crime.

We now have devices to investigate computer-related crimes.

In our digital forensic laboratory,

we have what we call forensic autopsy,

computer autopsy, or gadgets autopsy.

That's what we call our forensic work station.

The role of DNA analysis in crime investigation has also advanced.

“DNA sampling is a science

that helps identify the victim and the sample source.

DNA aids in the way we ask questions.

It helps us reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the crime.

"This Court therefore finds the accused,

guilty beyond reasonable doubt of all the charges against them."

"We didn't do anything!"

Justice has been served for the family of Eileen Sarmenta

and Allan Gomez with the imprisonment of former mayor Antonio Sanchez

But there are still many victims and accused

seeking final verdict on their cases.

For experts, evidence-gathering

must be accurate from the start...

because this will dictate the pace of the trial.

First, there should be proper documentation.

Evidence at the crime scene could be moved around or even lost.

Second, there should be different ways of gathering evidence

to avoid contamination.

Third, ensure chain of custody.

Even if collection of evidence was properly done,

if the chain's broken, that will be inadmissible in Court.

The Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation

are the lead government agencies in crime investigation.

The criminal justice system rests on the Court.

But before a case goes up,

there's the prosecution and law enforcement ladders.

When we declare 'case closed' with a recommendation to file in Court...

that's victory on our part.

But for the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption,

‘case closed’ does not always mean a win.

When a case is filed, that's 'case closed, '

but 'case solved' is a different matter.

While there are people who have lost confidence in the justice system,

some see hope in science.

Science should be constantly developed

so justice will be served on time.

For victims, what matters is the truth.

Their questions should be answered.

After the truth comes justice.

We do not want innocent people in jail.

"According to the Penal Code of the Philippines,

you are hereby sentenced by this Court..."

Movies are a reflection of what’s happening in a society.

Every victim wants justice.

"You dismissed our case... Oh my God!"

The accused could always claim innocence.

But in the end, unimpeachable evidence from the crime scene holds the truth.