NBI: Webb seen in PHL during Vizconde massacre

(Updated 2:27 p.m.) The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday presented testimonies from at least five new witnesses who will prove that acquitted murder suspect Hubert Webb was in the Philippines during the massacre of three members of the Vizconde family in June 1991. "These are real witnesses. We know their addresses and we have talked to them to verify their sworn statements… We do not see any motive on their part to fabricate their statements," Justice chief Leila de Lima said at a press conference at the NBI headquarters in Manila. De Lima, however, said the new witnesses were not asked to appear in public and were given aliases for "security reasons." Aside from the witnesses, NBI Death Investigation Division head Romulo Asis said they were able to retrieve magnetic reel tapes from the Bureau of Immigration that would prove Webb never left the country. He explained that the tapes were restored by the IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. "The name of Hubert Jeffrey Webb is certainly not on the said list. This is not speculation but a product of technical piece of evidence," said Asis.
Webb camp: Our evidence is conclusive Lawyer Demetrio Custodio, the Webbs' counsel, meanwhile, insisted that the evidence they presented before the courts proving that Hubert left the country at the time of the massacre was “conclusive." “I’d like very much to find out what their basis is in saying that hindi umalis si Hubert Webb kasi conclusive ‘yung mga ebidensya na sinubmit namin at kinonsidera ng Korte Suprema. Sinabi ng Korte Suprema na without doubt ang conclusiveness ng mga ebidensya namin," he said in a separate interview over GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali." The Webb camp earlier expressed confidence that the Vizconde massacre will be closed since the period for filing new charges against suspected perpetrators of the massacre is set to lapse on June 30. New witnesses Among the new witnesses who presented their testimonies to the NBI is a drug dealer named "George," who said he had a transaction with Webb around the time when the massacre happened. Another witness named "Mario" said Webb got a haircut from him sometime in June 1991. Two others, "Rey" and "Jerry" said they saw Webb playing basketball in BF Homes in Parañaque sometime between June and July 1991. Aside from the witnesses, Asis said they were also able to retrieve magnetic reel tapes from the Bureau of Immigration that would prove Webb never left the country. He said the tapes were restored by the IBM while being monitored by the National Computer Center. "The name of Hubert Jeffrey Webb is certainly not on the said list. This is not speculation but a product of technical piece of evidence," said Asis. He likewise pointed out certain inconsistencies in how Webb wrote his signature on one of his travel documents. He also said Webb's second name "Jeffrey" was misspelled in one of the documents. The tapes and testimonies of the new witnesses seek to challenge Webb's defense that he was in the United States when the massacre happened — the alibi that got him acquitted last December. The Supreme Court acquitted last year Hubert Webb and six others who had been earlier convicted by a lower court for the murders of Estrellita, Carmela, and Jennifer Vizconde on June 30, 1991. The Department of Justice launched a reinvestigation of the Vizconde massacre case after the acquittal, following an order from President Benigno Aquino III. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted, however, said they still have no proof that would place Webb and his companions at the scene of the crime. She just wondered why Webb would want to hide the fact that he was in the country if he were innocent. "Why resort to that? Why conceal that fact from the investigation?" she said. She likewise said that the SC only ruled in Webb's favor because they didn't have the same evidence during that time. Elated Lauro Lauro Vizconde, widow and father of the victims, said that the task force's findings proved his belief that Webb and his group were really the ones behind the crime. "Hindi ako nagkamali sa pagtukoy kina Hubert (I wasn't wrong in accusing Hubert and his companions)," he said after the presentation of the probe's findings. "Ako'y natutuwa sapagkat akala ko napagsaran na ako ng pintuan ng hustisya (I'm happy because I thought they have closed the door on my quest for justice)," he added. De Lima, however, admitted that they cannot anymore file a case against Webb and the others because it is prohibited under the Constitution to prosecute persons twice for the same crime. But she quickly noted that what they're doing was not a complete waste of time. "We're after the truth," she said.
Other leads The justice secretary also said that the task force still has not completed its investigation, especially since there seems to be other people who might have been involved in the crime. De Lima specifically cited Bing and Dong Villadolid, sibling drug users who were identified by witness "Dang" to have been talking about a "Maria" (presumed to be Maria Carmela Vizconde) a day before the murder. She also said they are still looking for a "Black Maria" who might have been inside the Vizconde residence during the murder and might possibly identify the perpetrators. — RSJ/HS/KBK, GMA News