Bilibid: Hubert Webb, other Vizconde massacre convicts free within the day

Hubert Webb, the son of a former senator and one of the convicted persons in the Vizconde massacre case, does not have to wait long to walk free from prison. In a radio dzBB in an interview on Tuesday, New Bilibid Prison (NBP) director Ernesto Diokno said Webb and the other convicted individuals in the Vizconde massacre case could be released from prison within the day. Supreme Court (SC) spokesman and court administrator Jose Midas Marquez assured the NBP that the SC would be provide them with a copy of the ruling within the day. "Maybe later in the day, maybe later in the afternoon because we are just promulgating it, collecting the dissenting opinions among others," he told radio dzBB in a separate interview. "Pagdating ng papel na padala sa amin ng Supreme Court ire-release namin sila kaagad within the day," said Diokno. Diokno said processing Webb's release will not take long, adding that all jail officials needed to do was to get his fingerprints. Diokno said he has not yet spoken with Webb and the six other convicts about the SC decision but said he would talk to them soon. The jail director also said no one from the Webb family or their lawyers have dropped by the NBP to check on the prisoners. Webb and the other convicts, who are all detained at the maximum security facility of the NBP, in the case are all "in good health," according to Diokno. He said they had all been "very good kids" while in detention and had developed good relationships with their fellow inmates. Webb has long been heading the NBP's "Fire Brigade" team, proof that he has been cooperating well with authorities while in jail, added Diokno. The convicts were acquitted by the SC on Tuesday, noting in its decision the "suspicious details" and "inconsistencies" in the testimonies of prosecution witnesses. They were originally convicted by a Parañaque court with the murder of Lauro Vizconde's wife Estrellita, 47, and their two daughters in 1991. Webb's father and former Senator Freddie Webb welcomed the SC decision but also sympathized with widower Lauro Vizconde. Freddie said in a radio dzBB interview that he was just "leaving everything to God." Meanwhile, a highly emotional Lauro broke down after hearing the news and said he considered the acquittal as his "greatest fear." – VVP, GMANews.TV