HUBERT WEBB SUES JESSICA ALFARO FOR 'OFFERING FALSE TESTIMONY'
MANILA, MARCH 21, 2011 (BULLETIN) By JULIEN MERCED C. MATABUENA [Photo is loading..Hubert Webb filed a case vs. Vizconde massacre star witness Jessica Alfaro three months after he was acquitted by the Supreme Court. (Screen grab courtesy of GMA News.]
A new chapter in one of the most infamous criminal cases of the 1990s has been unveiled as Hubert Webb fires back at Vizconde Massacre star witness Jessica Alfaro.
In a complaint filed before the Parañaque City Prosecutor's Office on March 18, Webb accused Alfaro of violating Article 180 of the Revised Penal Code, or "Offering of False Testimony against a Defendant."
Webb said he is simply trying to right a wrong. "Kailangan kung tayo'y pupunta sa witness stand, nagsasabi tayo ng totoo. Kung hindi, sayang 'yung batas natin," Webb said in an interview with "Saksi," Friday.
"Winalanghiya niya 'yung batas natin by lying and going under oath at sinabi niya na [ang] sinasabi niya ay purong katotohanan lamang. When, in fact, alam nating lahat na ngayon malinaw na kung sinong nagsasabi ng totoo," he added.
Webb reiterated that he has nothing much to gain from filing the case.
"Timbangin natin ng maigi. Ano bang makukuha namin dito? Meron ba? Wala. Ang pinoproteksyunan namin ay 'yung mga susunod na henerasyon. Kami wala naman kaming makukuha, eh. Ano bang maibibigay niya sa 'min?"
"Tapos dito rin sa kasong 'to pinapakita [kung] sino 'yung langgam sa 'min. Sinasabi niya ako 'yung malaking tao. Sino ba ngayon ang nasa ibang bansa na may proteksyon ng gobyerno? Sino bang nakulong? Sino ba ngayon 'yung nando'n ibang bansa [at] ayaw harapin ang kaso? Ako [mula] sa umpisa hinarap ko lahat," he said.
In a separate report by GMA News Online also on Friday, a statement by the Ongkiko Manhit Acorda Law Office quoted Webb as saying, "Jessica cannot just offer false testimony in court, which sent seven men to jail, and get away with it scot-free. Until now, she has not shown any sign of remorse. She should, therefore, be held fully accountable for what she did."
Webb's lawyer Zenaida Ongkiko-Acorda explained that the case is criminal in nature, noting how "Ms. Jessica Alfaro lied several times under oath."
The "most glaring lie," according to Ongkiko-Acorda, was when Alfaro claimed she personally saw Webb rape Carmela on June 29, 1991. She pointed out that Alfaro admitted in an affidavit made four years later that she did not actually witness the massacre.
Webb's affidavit also alleged a number of irregularities done by Alfaro. This includes Alfaro being unable to recognize one of the accused, Antonio Lejano Jr., "despite the fact that she passed in from of him at least three (3) times." It suggested that Alfaro was only "coached" by NBI agents Mark Anthony So and John Herra on how to identify the accused and what to tell the court.
More, it incorporated the Supreme Court's findings that Alfaro's testimonies were inconsistent and questionable.
Webb's camp is reportedly seeking P30 million worth of damages from Alfaro, whose exact location remains unknown today. If proven guilty, Alfaro may spend six to 12 years behind bars as mandated by the law.
As this was developing, Lauro, the patriarch of the Vizcondes, continued to express his full support of Alfaro.
"Tutulungan ko rin siya sa abot ng aking makakaya. Sinakripisyo niya ang buhay niya rito sa kasong 'to eh," he told "Bandila" in a taped interview also aired on Friday.
Webb, along with co-accused Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Hospicio Fernandez, Peter Estrada, and Gerardo Biong, was implicated in the murder of Estrelita, Carmela and Jennifer Vizconde, which occurred in 1991. In January 2000, all seven accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
On Dec. 14, 2010, the Supreme Court acquitted Webb, et al. on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the suspects' guilt "beyond reasonable doubt."
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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