Cayetano: Webb et al. acquittal doesn't mean they're innocent

Senate Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday said that the Supreme Court (SC) acquittal of the seven men linked to the 1991 Vizconde massacre does not mean that they are innocent. "Di ibig sabihin na naabsuwelto sila, ibig sabihin di sila ang gumawa [Just because they were acquitted doesn't mean they didn't do it]," said Cayetano, son of the late senator Rene Cayetano, who was also a former legal counsel of Lauro Vizconde. On Tuesday, SC justices voting 7-4-4 acquitted Hubert Webb and six other persons convicted in the Vizconde massacre case. Those acquitted along with Webb were Antonio Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Hospicio Fernandez, Peter Estrada and Miguel Rodriguez for the killing of Estrellita, Carmelita and Jennifer Vizconde; and Biong for supposedly being an accessory for destroying evidence in the case. The SC cited the unreliability of the testimony of "star witness" Jessica Alfaro and the failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the convicts beyond reasonable doubt. Cayetano, however, disagreed with the High Tribunal that Alfaro was not credible. "I disagree na hindi siya [that she is not a] credible witness just because the SC had a different opinion and the decision is 7-4-4. That doesn’t mean that she is not a credible witness," he said. He likewise scored the country's judicial system for failing to resolve the Vizconde case for 15 years. "What we can do is really strengthen the administraton of justice and look forward to future cases and to strengthen [the] fact finding… [the] investigation," he said.—Kimberly Jane Tan/JV, GMANews.TV