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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - The Webb family has criticized Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez for allegedly expressing a “personal opinion” on the acquittal of the respondents in the Vizconde massacre case.
“We deplore the latest statement of the SC spokesperson, Atty. Midas Marquez, that ‘the acquittal of Webb, et al did not mean they were innocent of the charges,’” the Webb family said in a statement released to the media.
“This personal opinion of the SC spokesperson is uncalled for,” the family added.
Voting 7-4-4, the high court on Tuesday acquitted the main respondents in the Vizconde massacre case due to the failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The respondents include Hubert Webb. All were incarcerated for more than 15 years.
Prompted to explain the decision further, Marquez told reporters the following day that “the magistrates did not say they were innocent and that they did not commit the crime.”
The Webb family said it is not “his place to interpret the decision of the Supreme Court. The Decision speaks for itself.”
The family also stressed that the decision already categorically stated that Jessica Alfaro, the sole eyewitness for the prosecution, “was not a credible and trustworthy witness and her testimony was not worth of belief.”
The decision also highlighted the certifications issued by the US and the Philippine governments that Hubert was in the US between March 1991 and October 1992, they noted. The bodies of Estrellita Vizconde and daughters Carmela and Jennifer were found in the morning of June 30, 1991.
“If Jessica is a bogus eyewitness, and the U.S. and Philippine Government Certifications are true, then the inevitable conclusion is that Hubert could not have committed the crime,” the family added.
Marquez should “know that there is no need for the magistrates to say that Hubert and his co-Accused are innocent. Because of the presumption of innocence, Hubert and his co-accused are innocent unless proven otherwise, and there is no need for them to be declared such,” the family stressed.
Jurisprudence dictate that allowing the accused to go free does not mean he or she has not committed the offense, lawyers said.
In the People versus Coderes case in October 2003, the SC said: “In an acquittal, an accused is set free not necessarily because he did not commit the offense but, more likely than not, because the exacting proof for conviction may not have been met.”
It further stated: “A person is presumed innocent of a crime unless his guilt has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Thus, an acquittal does not always mean that the defense evidence is given full credence, but, rather that the prosecution has failed to overcome the presumption of innocence.”
“We deplore the latest statement of the SC spokesperson, Atty. Midas Marquez, that ‘the acquittal of Webb, et al did not mean they were innocent of the charges,’” the Webb family said in a statement released to the media.
“This personal opinion of the SC spokesperson is uncalled for,” the family added.
Voting 7-4-4, the high court on Tuesday acquitted the main respondents in the Vizconde massacre case due to the failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The respondents include Hubert Webb. All were incarcerated for more than 15 years.
Prompted to explain the decision further, Marquez told reporters the following day that “the magistrates did not say they were innocent and that they did not commit the crime.”
The Webb family said it is not “his place to interpret the decision of the Supreme Court. The Decision speaks for itself.”
The family also stressed that the decision already categorically stated that Jessica Alfaro, the sole eyewitness for the prosecution, “was not a credible and trustworthy witness and her testimony was not worth of belief.”
The decision also highlighted the certifications issued by the US and the Philippine governments that Hubert was in the US between March 1991 and October 1992, they noted. The bodies of Estrellita Vizconde and daughters Carmela and Jennifer were found in the morning of June 30, 1991.
“If Jessica is a bogus eyewitness, and the U.S. and Philippine Government Certifications are true, then the inevitable conclusion is that Hubert could not have committed the crime,” the family added.
Marquez should “know that there is no need for the magistrates to say that Hubert and his co-Accused are innocent. Because of the presumption of innocence, Hubert and his co-accused are innocent unless proven otherwise, and there is no need for them to be declared such,” the family stressed.
Jurisprudence dictate that allowing the accused to go free does not mean he or she has not committed the offense, lawyers said.
In the People versus Coderes case in October 2003, the SC said: “In an acquittal, an accused is set free not necessarily because he did not commit the offense but, more likely than not, because the exacting proof for conviction may not have been met.”
It further stated: “A person is presumed innocent of a crime unless his guilt has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Thus, an acquittal does not always mean that the defense evidence is given full credence, but, rather that the prosecution has failed to overcome the presumption of innocence.”
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