MANILA, Philippines - Acquitted rape-slay convict Hubert Webb filed false testimony charges yesterday against government star witness Jessica Alfaro for allegedly lying in court and sealing his conviction and five other scions of wealthy families for the 1991 Vizconde massacre.
In a 45-page complaint, Webb sued Alfaro for offering false testimony against a defendant, which under Article 180 of the Revised Penal Code is punishable with six to 12 years’ imprisonment because the accused were meted life sentences.
“That’s still minimal compared to the 15 years that I’ve suffered,” Webb said in an interview with reporters.
Webb was accompanied by lawyers Zenaida Ongkiko-Acorda and Joaquin Miguel Hizon in taking his oath before the Parañaque City prosecutor’s office. Among the evidence they included was the court’s transcript of stenographic notes.
According to Ongkiko, the “most glaring lie” that Alfaro made was telling the court that Webb raped Carmela Vizconde.
Webb also asked Alfaro to pay him P30 million in damages. He said P15 million was for the loss of his earning capacity and several opportunities and P10 million was for the “mental anguish, serious anxiety, besmirched reputation, and social humiliation” that his family suffered.
The rest of the amount was for exemplary damages “in order that this incident may serve as an example for the public good and would not be repeated.”
Alfaro testified that it was Webb, a son of a former lawmaker, who was behind the brutal murder of Estrella Vizconde and her daughters Carmela and Jennifer in their house in BF Homes in Parañaque City in 1991. She also claimed that Webb raped Carmela before she was stabbed to death.
Webb was allegedly accompanied by Antonio Lejano II, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Hospicio “Pyke” Fernandez when he broke into the Vizconde residence in Pitong Daan Subdivision, Barangay BF Homes on June 30, 1991. The crime scene, meanwhile, was allegedly cleaned up by former Police Officer 1 Gerardo Biong.
“Even after my acquittal, doubters persist and I find my self burdened with the ordeal of having to prove my innocence to the public at large. All these my family and I have suffered because of the false testimony of Alfaro,” he said.
Except for Biong, the six were meted life sentences by then Parañaque City Judge Amelita Tolentino. Biong, meanwhile, received 12 years.
Tolentino’s decision, which was based mostly on Alfaro’s testimony, was upheld by the Court of Appeals but overturned by the Supreme Court last December after seven SC justices found Alfaro’s testimony “incredible.”
Webb denied that the case against Alfaro was his way of seeking vengeance, saying it could not bring back the years he spent behind bars. He said it was a deterrent for people who are thinking of offering false testimony.
Webb has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying he was in the United States when the Vizcondes were murdered on June 30, 1991.
Aside from Alfaro, Webb family laundrywoman Mila Gaviola and village security guard Norman White also testified to seeing Webb in the country at the time of killings. The two are not included in the complaint.
In an interview with reporters, Webb said they are taking one step at a time and still weighing their legal options.