For The Love Of Trial By Teleserye

 

Here's a video of the late Carlos Celdran at the premiere of the documentary Give Up Tomorrow - a documentary that was made popular because of the problematic Jacqueline Comes Home movie. On September 15, 1997, Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larranaga was ILLEGALLY arrested without a proper warrant. Celdran himself last 2012 had spoken such words that he called it "trial by publicity". The big issue was that two big cases pinned two INNOCENT people namely Hubert Webb and Paco. Hubert was in America with his family when the Vizconde Massacre happened. Poor Lauro Vizconde died believing Hubert was guilty of murdering his family and maybe many members of the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) were still misled by false evidence. Paco was in Manila on July 16, 1997, when the crime allegedly happened. 

After watching Give Up Tomorrow and Crime Investigation Asia: The Vizconde Massacre - there are a lot of inconsistencies that need to be addressed in both cases. Jessica Alfaro's and Davidson Rusia's testimonies were full of inconsistencies. Judge Amelita Tolentino and the late Martin Ocampo showed proof of incompetence as to why not having a jury system isn't good. Having a jury review the cases would've revealed the INCOMPETENCE of the two nincompoop judges. Instead, they denied the suspects' right to prove their innocence since every suspect must be assumed INNOCENT until proven guilty.

Remembering the Chiong Sisters' case

Here's a video of the witnesses who risked EVERYTHING to testify that Paco was indeed in Quezon City, Manila, when the incident happened in Cebu City. Paco couldn't be in two different places at the same time. There was even photographic evidence of Paco being in Manila. If the judge was in doubt they why didn't he have the photographs examined first? The documentary Give Up Tomorrow also tells you that Ocampo dismissed them, sent five defense lawyers to jail immediately without any fair trial and that this "incorruptible" judge Ocampo wasn't so incorruptible after all. The documentary by Michael Collins revealed so many inconsistencies. People also watched the daily trial like it was a teleserye and everything hinged on Rusia's "testimony". Paco's rights as a SUSPECT were denied. Ocampo could've had all the witnesses examined to see if the #ChiongSeven were indeed guilty or not. It's no different than what Hubert had when Tolentino refused his request for a DNA test on the sperm found from the late Carmela Vizconde's body. 

Later, Ocampo said that the identity of the body suspected to be Marijoy is now irrelevant. Aren't suspects of ANY CASE deemed innocent until proven guilty? Later, it was revealed that not only did Davidson fail as a state witness - there was evidence to suggest that he was tortured to make a bogus testimony. If Rusia was truly involved then where are the bodies of the Chiong sisters? Later, Davidson was set free even after he was supposedly involved in rape-slay? Worse, how can Thelma Jimenea-Chiong even give birthday cake or whatever to Davidson after supposedly being involved in the crime? I mean, even if the person agreed to be a witness but still it's too unusual of an event. Treating him suddenly too kindly is just unexpected as Mimi explained in the said documentary. 

There was also the unethical part of the Chiong Sisters case. The Calvento Files program of ABS-CBN featured a dramatization of the case DURING THE TRIAL. I remembered watching that case back when I was only 13 years old and in first-year high school. Nino Muhlach played a drug-crazed Paco. Later, Nino would regret his actions and issue an apology to Paco a year after the late Tony Calvento died. Nino even went as far as to support the innocence of Paco. I wonder if Nino would be willing to play as Paco if ever a movie version of Give Up Tomorrow will be created. I would call it Paco Come Home which will dramatize the wrongful frame-up of Paco. It should be an Indie film because VIVA Films has some biased biopic films. VIVA tried to paint Flor Contemplacion as a heroine while they attempted to smear Hubert who was INNOCENT of the actual crime that happened. There was even this movie Vizconde Massacre: God Help Us released DURING the Vizconde trials. A sequel was created called The Jessica Alfaro Story when the said star witness appeared after the film. Did Tolentino decide to convict Hubert based on the films than the evidence? 

Even if names weren't mentioned in Jacqueline Come Home - the whole movie deserved its harsh criticism from Filipinos who were awakened to the truth. Airing that dramatization while the trial was going on, while the status of Paco was still UNCONFIRMED, was unethical. It probably helped fan the flames of hitting Paco and possibly other innocent people. What lies can I remember from the dramatization? I always thought both Paco and his friend Josman Aznar were admirers of the Chiongs. However, more evidence surfaced that neither of them was courting any of the two sisters. Also, neither of them knew Rusia. From what I heard - Paco didn't even know the underaged (at that time) Uy brothers (James Anthony and James Andrew) at all prior to their arrest. Mimi Larranaga-Syjuco also mentioned in the documentary that her younger brother Paco didn't know Marijoy at all.

What was unethical was that why was the episode aired DURING the trial? Calvento could've investigated the claims if Paco was truly in Quezon City by going to the school and the place. He could've at least tried to see if the photos that claimed Paco was in Quezon City were authentic or a computer trick. Instead, it seemed that Calvento was more concerned about ratings than the truth for his now-defunct documentary. Was The Calvento Files just trying to ride on the hype of anti-Paco at that time? A lot of Cebuanos were demanding justice against Paco and for the Chiong Sisters. However, it took a turn when Give Up Tomorrow was later popularized with the flop called Jacqueline Comes Home. The documentary was released a few years before Calvento died in 2014. I wonder if the people behind The Calvento Files saw it and not just Nino? 

This is also the chilling part - how did Paco become the suspect in the first place? How did he get into the mess? Do you still think that NOTHING is wrong with the system? Just listening to this clip (including a clip from the launching of the documentary Give Up Tomorrow) will get you to understand. The former NBI head Atty. Florencio Villarin reveals rather chilling details in this video. I wonder did Calvento bother to interrogate both sides of the coin? 

The Uy brothers' father Enrique had mentioned what could be proof that the Chiong Sisters are possibly still alive. However, the recent photos that floated around the Internet are NOT Marijoy and Jacqueline but only a sister-in-law (who may look like Marijoy at first glance but obviously isn't) and the youngest daughter who is pretty much Jacqueline's split copy. So unlike the Vizconde Massacre where REAL BODIES and a REAL MASSACRE happened - it seems that the Chiong Sisters probably faked their deaths. I can't be certain about that because I don't think the sisters would post their pictures on social media if they faked their deaths. If they're dead then they're dead. Possible long-distance call from Canada? Hmmm... that should be very suspicious and the first-degree cousin of Thelma died before the affidavit could be signed. 

Was there someone manipulating Enrique as well? Though nobody has brought any real photographic evidence of both sisters being alive or a recording of the alleged conversation. Both the sister-in-law and the younger sister look too young to be women in their 40s. Both Marijoy and Jacqueline would be in their 40s if they were alive. However, no pictures until now have proven the claim to be real. It's highly possible that both sisters (if they are alive) have changed their names while in Canada. Jacqueline is still missing then maybe only she was in Canada and Marijoy is confirmed dead. Until now, it's very puzzling if they are indeed alive or truly dead. Later, Marijoy's corpse was cremated and transferred to a crematorium. Later this year, Dionisio Chiong also died at age 71 of heart failure. 

Remembering Renato Corona's trial by teleserye as well... 

Not to mention, the Aquino Administration was also the time of one of the biggest trial by teleserye with the late Renato Corona. This also involved the case of Wilfredo Keng which led a lawsuit against CRappler itself. Later on, the said case against Maria Ressa declared her GUILTY of cyberlibel. If one would watch the trial of Corona then you can see it was full of publicity. No wonder the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago was so furious. Also, priorities were not set straight. Why bother to sensationalize the minor act of disrespect done by Vitaliano N. Aguirre Jr.' when he covered his ears? True, what Aguirre did was wrong but the best punishment for him was to be made to get out of the courtroom and sermon him the next day. Why has a caucus needed to decide on a minor punishment? Meanwhile, why hasn't Harvey Keh a man who brought QUESTIONABLE evidence in court not held in contempt? If you ask me Aguirre should've just been admonished the next day. Keh should've been made to sleep in the Senate courtroom to listen to Miriam's nagging sermons in a confined room. Instead, isn't it suspicious that Keh got away with admonition while Aguirre had a caucus against him? I mean what Keh did was most likely perjury when he presented questionable evidence in the courtroom. 

Unfortunately, Corona died before he could be vindicated or to be proven innocent. Hubert and Paco both wasted their lives in jail for crimes that they didn't commit at all. How much time was wasted on Hubert and Paco? Fortunately, Paco is now serving sentence in a Spanish prison where he can work in the morning without an escort and go to prison at night. What about the other six members of the Chiongs who were convicted without proper evidence and only by a trial by teleserye? What about other possible framed-up prisoners during the Vizconde Massacre account? Just who was behind the massacre of the Vizconde wife and children? Who really raped Carmela since it wasn't Hubert? Where are the Chiong sisters? Are they dead or as a possible witness of Enrique said - hiding in Canada? This really shows that something is wrong with the justice system of the Philippines. That's why I want to temporarily suspend the reimplementation of the death penalty since it nearly executed both Paco and Hubert by mistake. 

This is a call to really have a massive overhaul of the judicial system. Don't say that it's not just a matter of the system but only of the judges. Please, Hilarious Davide is but a result of a bad system. The rise of Maria Lourdes Sereno is but a result of a bad system. That's why the Philippines needs a jury system followed from either Singapore or Malaysia. It's time to have a massive overhaul because the 1987 Constitution is NOT the best in the world!