INTERVIEW: State of the Nation interview with Hubert Webb

Read the full transcript of Jiggy Manicad and Maki Pulido's interview with Hubert Webb on Thursday, July 29, after the Department of Justice announced the findings of their investigation into the Vizconde Massacre. Jiggy: Kagabi po ay nakapanayam natin si Ginoong Lauro Vizconde dito sa State of the Nation. Sa live interview po ay ipinakita ni Mang Lauro na tila nabuhayan siya muli ng loob sa paglitaw ng anim na bagong testigo sa kaso ng pag-massacre sa kaniyang pamilya. Maki: Ayon kay Mang Lauro, iginigiit ng mga testigo na narito sa Pilipinas si Hubert Webb nang mga panahong nangyari ang krimen. At para naman po marinig natin ang kabilang panig, makakausap po natin ngayon live, si Hubert Webb. Jiggy: Magandang gabi sayo Hubert, si Jiggy Manicad ito. Hubert Webb: Magandang gabi sayo Jiggy at Maki… at sa inyong mga nanunuod, magandang gabi sa inyong lahat. Jiggy: Hubert, nung ginagawa itong imbestigasyon, nagkaroon na ba kayo ng ideya na magiging ganito ang kalalabasan na findings ng NBI at ng DOJ? Hubert Webb: Well, to tell you the truth, we were hoping that it would be unbiased but it seems that the NBI up to--- are back to their old games: trialing me by publicity, bringing out ghost witnesses that we can’t even face, sealing their names from us as Mr. X and Mr. Y saying that they are credible. So are we again to believe the NBI now? After they produced Jessica Alfaro? For all we know these are another--- for all we know these are more Jessica Alfaro’s which they’ve proven themselves to have done in the past, diba? Jiggy: At itong naging pahayag ni Secretary De Lima kahapon, ano yung naging reaksyon mo nung marinig mo kaagad itong naging mga pahayag nila? Hubert Webb: Nasaktan ako, nagalit, na-frustrate. Eh I hope that some of you can imagine losing 15 years of your life, believing in the system. And then i-a-acquit ka ng Supreme Court tapos maglalabas na naman sila ng ganito. I don’t know where can I go to defend my self now after this. Jiggy: Inamin ng DOJ at NBI na kumbaga talagang wala na rin naman silang magagawa dahil sinarado na nga ng Supreme Court itong kaso. Yun bang ganoong pahayag eh nakapagbigay sayo kahit papano ng, kumbaga comfort sa iyong pakiramdam? Hubert Webb: Jiggy, Maki, anong sinasabi niyong wala silang magagawa? Sinira nila ulit yung pangalan namin sa mga pahayag nila. Naglabas sila ng mga witnesses na hindi man namin makita. We can’t even cross examine them. How will you say that I would feel lighter that they can’t anymore put me back in trial? What relief can I get from that? Jiggy: Kumbaga sa korte, sa regular court, sa Supreme Court eh talagang panalo ka pero tila sa court of public opinion, dito ka natalo. Ano yung masasabi mo rito? Hubert Webb: I don’t believe we lost in public opinion. Naniniwala ako na maraming nakaka-intindi diyan ng katotohanan. Kasi kung sinasabi nila na nandito talaga ako, eh bakit hindi nila sabihin yung passport ko hindi tama o hindi... diba? In fact they stole it from us. And then they tried to see how original or authentic it was and lumabas sa Central bank na yung passport ko authentic. So kung sinasabi nilang, “Okay, the passport is authentic, but we’re not sure if it was really Hubert Webb who left." Eh, sino 'yung umalis dun? Jiggy: Hubert, sa pinakabagong insidente na pagkaka-drag ng pangalan mo sa kasong ito, ano pa yung naging epekto nito sa buhay mo at saka sa pamilya mo? Hubert Webb: You know, we are in pain. The family talaga is suffering right now because we believed in the system. We lost 15 years. The NBI came out with Jessica Alfaro saying that she is the true witness, saying that she saw everything. Sa Supreme Court sinabi na, that she was coached, she was a coached witness. And now they are going to come with what, seven new witnesses? Saying that these witnesses are authentic? That they’re telling the truth? Sus. Sa aming kampo, maniwala na sila, kami lang ang nagsasabi ng totoo. We have survived cross examination, we presented over 90 witnesses, over 400 documentary evidences that they cannot even say it to be false. Jiggy, Maki, do you know that we went to Secretary De Lima and we told her make it simple. If you can prove any of our documents are falsified or fake, I don’t need to go to trial, I will go back to Bilibid. I think that’s the best challenge anybody can throw at anyone. Maki: Magandang gabi, Hubert. Si Maki Pulido ito. Hubert Webb: Hello, Maki. Good evening. Maki: Kanina sa press conference, Yung lawyers mo directly attacked Sec. De Lima. Sabi nila ginagamit lang daw ni Sec. De Lima ang kaso para mamulitika. Ikaw ba or your family, do you share the same sentiment? Alam mo naman si Sec. De Lima is a multi-awarded public servant ah, mataas siya sa surveys. Lumalabas nga na most trusted cabinet member siya. Hubert Webb: Well, I think I’ll leave that to my lawyers. I would rather not judge on anybody. It’s not my place to judge them but this is my place to tell you the truth and I was not in this country when this massacre happened. Maki: Ayon nga, Hubert, ano, lagi mong-- you always insist na wala ka talaga, sa Amerika. You’ve presented a lot of evidence regarding this pero hanggang ngayon… napakatagal na, ilang dekada na yung lumipas eh ito pa rin ang pinag-uusapan na sinasabi nga na nandito ka pa rin sa Pilipinas nung nangyari ang krimen. Hubert Webb: Maki, what’s the question? Maki: What do you think? Bakit ganito na lang lagi? Hindi na ‘to nalalagyan ng closure na lagi mong sinasabi that you were here. Meron kang ebidensya na you were in America, may ebidensya ka pero sila ini-insist pa rin nila na nandito ka. Why do you think na hanggang ngayon wala pa ring closure yang point na yan? Hubert Webb: My opinion? Maki: Yes, Hubert. Hubert Webb: Maybe the NBI don’t want to embarrass themselves with their first mistake, that’s my opinion. So they are moving everything to say that siya talaga yung gumawa. It could be an embarrasment nga naman diba? Maki: So ano ang magiging hakbang niyo ngayon? Sinabi kanina ng lawyers niyo na they might file disbarment case against Sec. De Lima. May update na ba tungkol diyan? Hubert Webb: Well, Maki, we are looking into this. Sa ngayon yung pamilya namin are still hurting from the incident and when we all talk about what we are going to do then we will update the public or everyone. Maki: Okay, maraming salamat sa oras na ibinigay mo ngayong gabi, Hubert Webb. Maraming salamat. Hubert Webb: Maraming salamat din sa inyo at sa inyong mga manonood. -END-