by Nicasio Angelo Agustin
The Supreme Court has made its final verdict. It acquitted Hubert Webb in the Vizconde Murder Case, among the most-celebrated and most-controversial cases in two decades – dubbed “the trial of the century”. We then can say that the life imprisonment verdict handed down by a regional trial courtthe Court of Appeals (CA) 15 years ago which put Webb behind bars had now been thoroughly reviewed and reversed. With the highest court of the land handing down its decision, it puts closure to the case.
On December 14, 2010, Webb finally got his release order. At that moment, there were two (2) distinct reactions – jubilation and celebration for the release of Webb, accused of rape and murder, and sadness and disappointment on the part of Mr. Vizconde, the patriarch of the massacred victims. Two camps were both filled with emotions. Supporters of both camps were crying and wailing – either for joy or for sorrow, which basically represent the 2 sides of a coin, the 2 extreme realities of life, and the 2 contrasting inevitable stages of our being. Either you get one or the other; that’s what actually happened on that very historic day for justice in the Philippines.
Almost 2 decades had passed since the gruesome incident happened. Within that span of time, both camps worked on hard to cement a permanent closure of the case, a final verdict for justice. It was a long journey where the 2 parties went through a whole lot of anxieties and excruciating, heartrending experiences. Twenty years is 20 LOOONGyears! It’s not a mere drama or a telenovela as many people would see it; it’s a real life for the families of the victims and the accused. For Mr. Vizconde, it’s 20 years of missing his family, missing them in the most painful and devastating ways. For Hubert, it’s 15 years in jail, supposedly a wrong conviction. Both had sacrificed, agonized, suffered, and tormented – both physically and emotionally. The contending parties were the subject of sympathy and compassion as well as humiliation, disbelief and undue public dirty digs.
Now that the final verdict of the highest court has been issued, it is Mr. Vizconde who would continue to suffer the most. On the part of Webb, he got his vindication. Good for him and his family. As he said lately “it’s now time to move on.” But, the whole experience and how he was dragged (no punning intended) into the case would definitely haunt Hubert and his family for the rest of their lives, and I hope that they’ve learned some things from it. For Mr. Vizconde, the final decision will only unearth the pain and the sorrow of losing his own family and finding himself once again all alone without a family. And to top it off, he didn’t get the justice he had been praying for. He said “even my prayers were not heard”.
With the decision, Hubert goes back to the loving arms of his family and friends. Considered “not guilty”, he gains his freedom back. In a sense, the decision served justice to Hubert but not necessarily to Mr. Vizconde. The search for truth and justice for the massacred victims must continue.
The acquittal of Webb displayed how the justice system in the Philippines works. We have the contending parties – the victims and the suspects or accused (Lawyers have various legal terms they use for each depending on the stage of the justice process). We have the lawyers, the courts and, the most important item, the evidences. We also have the witnesses and their emotion-filled testimonies, lies, stories, anecdotes, telltales, and the like. Then, there’s the media hype and other propagandas.
The reversal of the decision of the CA by the Supreme Court on the Vizconde Case was based on both the weaknesses and strengths of the evidences presented by both parties which eventually favored Hubert Webb.
One thing that struck me with the whole exercise is the swiftness of the Supreme Court to issue its final decision without prejudice to integrity and accuracy of evidences, and neither sacrificing the applicability of laws, processes, protocols and standards. While the essence of the decision may not be acceptable to some, the Supreme Court exhibited that justice should be served at once – when demanded, when it is proper, and when everything is ripe. The Supreme Court took the risk and perhaps anticipated and even allowed itself to be the subject of criticisms and ridicule for the next few days, months or even years as it tried to serve justice to whoever deserves justice, at this time, in the Vizconde Murder Case.
One thing is given now – it is not Webb who committed the crime! If Mr. Vizconde would like to pursue the case, anybody but Hubert Webb and his cohorts – according to the court – is the culprit.
I pray that truth and justice for the Vizcondes would come out soon. I pray that the criminals in the case would serve their own eternal punishments. If not here, definitely it must be somewhere out there. I still believe that there is what they call divine justice.
Feel free to send your comments to nic_agustin@yahoo.com.
