All language subtitles for Patayan Files Ang Pinakamalalaking Murder Cases Ng Dekada 90 2022 1080p WEB-DL AAC2 0 x264-MARCOSKUPAL_Engsub.LK

Court en banc has acquitted
Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, Antonio Lejano...

'There is no more
justice in this country!'

I heard the actual voice
recording of Helen and the children.

It was heart-wrenching.

My three brothers got
involved in illegal drugs.

They were sentenced to life in prison.

They are now at the
national penitentiary.

We are thankful that
the truth came out.

From the start, we
know we’re innocent.

The '90s.

A time of change and
challenges for the Philippines.

In the news: contoversy,
tragedy and crime.

There was still no
internet or social media.

As President of the Philippines...

Television, radio, newspapers

and films reigned as
top information sources.

We are very excited to have
the pageant in Philippines.

Long live the Philippines.

If you're a '90s baby'...

Chances are you've
heard of these stories.

Crimes so gruesome...

you'd think they only
happen in the movies.

"Help us! Help us!"

Don't!

The ‘Massacre Movies’ trend began

with the gruesome
murders of the Vizcondes.

The case had police baffled as
there were no signs of a break-in.

June 30, 1991

Found slain in a gated
village in Parañaque were

Estrellita, 47 years old…

Carmela, 19…

And Jennifer, seven years old.

The Vizconde matriarch
sustained 12 stab wounds.

The little girl suffered
19 stab wounds…

while Carmela was stabbed
nine times after she was raped.

The grieving patriarch,
Lauro Vizconde,

worked in the United States,
and just arrived.

He has made it his life mission
to seek justice for his family.

I believe more witnesses
will come forward

to complete the missing
link in this heinous crime.

Rodel Vizconde witnessed

how his uncle fervently pursued
the case, and the suspects.

The police could not identify any suspect.

They even presented
two groups of fall guys.

"Please! Don't hurt our children!"

The police is still
looking for suspects...

No suspects.

The case has the police baffled...

No fingerprints.

No evidence.

No witnesses.

Everything was quiet after that,

and it seemed that
the Vizconde case

would never be solved.

Then came Jessica Alfaro…

Who claimed to have witnessed
the Vizconde Massacre.

"In a press conference,

Jessica Alfaro identified eight men
allegedly involved in the crime..."

Four years after the crime…

The prosecution team’s
proclaimed ‘star witness’

identified the alleged culprits…

most of whom came
from influential families.

"Mr. Hubert Webb
is here, your honor."

The name that stood out

then 26-year-old Hubert Webb,

son of incumbent Senator Freddie Webb.

Jessica identified Hubert
as the alleged mastermind.

“At this point, I really don’t
care who believes me.”

That's it.

I've came out to the open.

It's all up to them
if they want to believe.

But eventually,
the truth will come out.

Before the end of 1995, the so-called
‘Trial of the Century’ began.

I won't ever forget
their lifeless bodies...

And so did three films
about the Vizconde Massacre.

The wheels of justice
turned for Carmela, Jennifer

and Estrellita Vizconde.

...The principal accused guilty,

beyond reasonable doubt of
the crime of rape with homicide...

Hubert Webb and his co-accused
were sentenced to life in prison

for the crime of rape with homicide.

In 2005, the Court of Appeals
upheld the verdict.

But in 2010,

"Court en banc in a
vote of 7-4 has acquitted

Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb,
Antonio Lejano,

Michael Gatchalian,
Hospicio Fernandez,

Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada

and Gerardo Biong for
failure of the prosecution..."

The Supreme Court
acquitted all suspects.

Hubert’s alibi that he was in
the United States was solid.

“We are thankful that
the truth came out.

From the start, we know we’re innocent
and we believed in the justice system.

We did not flee.
We did not buy our way out.

We’re all here.

15 years.

We accepted our fate for 15 years!”

“There’s no justice in this country!”

"Mr. Vizconde, can
we get your statement?"

"I have nothing further to say.

Just let me be."

My uncle, Lauro, lost all confidence
and trust in the Supreme Court.

"This is devastating."

"Will you still seek
justice for your family?"

"Where will I find it?
Who do I pursue?

The court has set
the real criminals free!"

He was so disappointed,

he lost the will to live.

There was no chance to appeal.

He just deteriorated.

Lauro Vizconde died in 2016.

Jessica Alfaro now lives abroad.

Hubert Webb and his
co-accused had to start over,

after losing 15 years
of their lives in jail.

In the end, this bungalow

on 80 Vinzons St., BF Homes, Parañaque

remains the only witness to a crime
that shook a nation, 30 years ago.

A grisly crime also took place
inside this house in Lipa, Batangas.

Like Lauro Vizconde,

Ronald Arandia came home from
overseas to find his family murdered…

His wife Helen, and
daughters Chelsea and Geleen…

on April 9, 1994.

"I hoped we'll never be apart.
I am nervous..."

Seasoned actress Vilma Santos

played Helen Arandia in the film.

They put me in a coffin.
I was so nervous!

That was my first
time to lay in a casket.

"This is an offering, so
the culprit comes forward..."

True-to-life movies
have to be accurate,

even if minor adjustments like
cinematic effects have to be made.

The emotions she
felt shooting the film

are still vivid for the
‘Star for All Seasons.’

The massacre scene was terrifying,
while we were shooting it.

All I could think of was,
can this really happen in real life?

I heard the actual voice
recording of Helen and the children.

It was heart-wrenching.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic."

A few years after the movie was shown,

Vilma Santos became
mayor of Lipa, Batangas…

and met the primary suspect
in the massacre, Elmer Palicpic.

He was at the Lipa police station.

I said, ‘So, you’re Palicpic.

Did you really kill the Arandias?’

He denied it.

But at the end of the day, he
was convicted for the crime.

He was jailed in Lipa,

then transferred to the
national penitentiary.

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

"This is my family!"

And so, justice has been served.

Life went on for Ronald Arandia
and Helen’s relatives.

"Mayor, this is the first
time in Lipa's history

that something this
dreadful happened."

The Arandia and Vizconde massacres

were just two cases
that gripped the nation.

"Such impassioned
statement from Ms. Alfaro...

do you believe this witness?"

Even before trials began,

these true stories made
their way to the big screen.

And they were ‘blockbusters.’

The institutions of TV news
and cinema are just there

while the cases are tried.

These discussions build
expectations about the justice system.

Carlo Caparas stood out in this genre.

He brought back to life the greatest,
most celebrated crime stories

of Philippine popular culture.

"Only critics brand my
work as massacre films.

I call them ‘justice films’

because the subjects are
the victims themselves.”

Carlo J. Caparas also helmed
‘The Maggie Dela Riva Story’...

A crime committed in 1967, and re-told
in a movie during the Nineties.

"This week, two films opened
in Metro Manila movie houses.

These stories were sensational."

"Film producers did not find it
hard to attract a lot of viewers."

"Should movies be allowed to screen
while a criminal case is being tried?"

Blood and violence were staples
in the films of Carlo J. Caparas.

I’ve shown that a filmmaker
can help turn the wheels of justice.

He raped me here!

The Maggie Dela Riva Story,
directed by Carlo J. Caparas.

"You're just an actress.
You act so high and mighty!"

Aside from the Vizconde
and Arandia massacres,

he also directed a film about
a rising star

from the '70s named
Maggie Dela Riva.

Maggie was kidnapped, tortured
and raped by four men in 1967.

The suspects came
from prominent clans.

"Let them pay, Maggie!
Let them pay with their lives!

They deserve the electric chair!"

Sentenced to death were Jaime Jose,

Basilio Pineda Jr., Edgardo Aquino,
and Rogelio Cañal.

Cañal died in 1971 while in prison.

"I kept on asking why, why me?"

The three other convicts
were executed by electrocution.

There was a man who had the audacity
to approach me after the executions.

He said,

‘How do you feel being responsible
for the death of four men?’

Is he kidding? I said I’m not
responsible for the death of four men.

They did this to themselves.

They had a choice, do good or do evil.
They chose to do evil.

They had to accept the
consequences of their actions.

February 5, the day of
Leo Echegaray's execution.

But will his death really
solve this heinous crime?

“Whether I die or I live.
It’s all God’s will.

The ultimate justice is with God.”

"I'm just numb after what happened.
How could he do this to our daughter?"

Leo Echegaray was
also sentenced to death

for raping his ten years old
stepdaughter in 1994.

We should be firm
on our decision.

He was the first
Filipino sentenced to die

by lethal injection, upon the death
penalty’s reimposition in 1993.

Former ABS-CBN reporter
Mon Ilagan distinctly remembers

Echegaray’s execution
on February 5, 1999.

A glass separated the gas chamber
and the area where spectators sat.

The chamber was three to four meters away,
audio speakers were all over.

I was seated in the middle.

In the gas chamber, we could see
the gurney, covered in white cloth.

There was a telephone.

The IV lines hung ready
while a priest waited inside.

At 2:47 PM, Echegaray was brought in.
He gave a brief statement.

He laid on the gurney at 3 o’clock.
By 3:19 PM,

Leo Echegaray was pronounced dead.

In 2006, the Philippines
abolished the death penalty.

Since capital punishment
had been abolished,

the sentence of Paco Larrañaga and his
six co-accused were commuted in 1999.

They were earlier convicted
for the 1997 rape and murder

of the Chiong sisters in Cebu.

Two of the accused belong to Cebu's
prominent Aznar and Osmeña family...

The offenders, who
belonged to influential families

stood trial for the death of
Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong.

But to this day, they claim innocence.

So I was raising my hand, your Honor
I would like to take a stand, your Honor.

He just looked at me
and said 'no, no.'

If I didn't have the handcuffs, I'd
walk straight to the witness stand

and sit down there.

No matter what happens.
I want to say that I'm innocent.

I deserve it because that's my right.

It has been a year and nine months

since the Chiong
sisters were abducted.

Paco Larrañaga brought his quest
for justice in the documentary film

‘Give Up Tomorrow’.

The Chiongs, on the other hand

told their story in the movie
‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ in 2018.

"wherefore all the accused are hereby
found guilty beyond reasonable doubt..."

This was a complicated
and mysterious case.

"...she was gang-raped."

Only Marijoy’s body had been found.

The case’s judge died by
suicide for unknown reasons.

I have done my part already.
I've done so much for my part.

What more could I do.
Right? It's very painful.

Some of the convicts remained
in the national penitentiary.

They would have been eligible

for the government’s Good
Conduct Time Allowance Law (GCTA),

but it fizzled out.

The mayor has now
exchanged his all white attire

for the familiar orange
uniform of Muntinlupa.

In 2019, former Calauan,
Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez

came close to
benefitting from the GCTA,

or early release for time served.

Seven counts of reclusion
perpetua which means 210 years.

But it was met with protests.

Guilty beyond reasonable doubt
of all the charges against him.

In March 1995, Sanchez
and six others were sentenced

to seven counts of
‘reclusion perpetua’,

almost permanent imprisonment.

"We are innocent, damn it!"

Sanchez is the primary
culprit in the rape and murder

of University of the Philippines
Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta,

And the killing of her friend
Allan Gomez on June 29, 1993.

"The should not be quick
to judge Mayor Sanchez."

Until his death,

Sanchez believed he is innocent,

and should not have been punished.

"The verdict would
serve as an eye opener

to people who are
abusing their power."

"I am not involved."

Even with a Court order, Mayor Sanchez
refused to pay the victims’ families

Over 12 million pesos in damages.

"We convene today this National
Summit on Peace and Order

to assess our peace
and order situation."

"Kidnappings, roberries, and other
grave crimes do occur in our society."

The Nineties were violent times.

Films and news reports
may have reflected

the fear felt during those years.

Massacre films and even
reports of heinous crimes

are manifestations of social
anxiety at a specific period of time.

Overseas,

News about Filipinos are
also causing fear back home.

Pursue justice for Flor Contemplacion.

In the Nineties, fear and
anger gripped Filipinos

when news came out
about Flor Contemplacion.

Flor was an Overseas Filipino
Worker or OFW in Singapore

who was executed for allegedly
killing Delia Maga and her ward.

Flor Contemplacion’s story
was turned into film in 1995.

Multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan

provided a narrative to the tragedy.

"Ma!"

- "Sit! Just, sit!"
- "Ma!"

“The movie is about an
overseas Filipino worker.

Vic (Del Rosario), film
producer, talked to me

about research. I called in Ricky Lee
and Bonifacio Ilagan (screenwriters).

The three of us identified which parts
of Flor’s life will go into the film.”

Actress and ‘Superstar’ Nora Aunor
was selected as lead.

Nora is the biggest
star of her generation.

She has even gained
international acclaim for her acting.”

"Let me go!"

It was a challenging
film for Joel and Nora.

Unlike the success
stories of other OFWs,

Flor Contemplacion’s
fate went the other way.

"Bye, mom."

To support her family, Flor
left San Pablo, Laguna to work

as a domestic helper
in Singapore in 1988.

My father’s income
then wasn’t just enough.

"You'll write to me everyday, okay?"

I can’t blame my mother for wanting

to give us a better
future by working abroad."

It’s just unfortunate that
Mama’s fate was like that.”

On May 4, 1991…

Domestic helper Delia
Maga was found murdered

in a Singapore apartment.

Also found drowned in a
pail was her three-year-old ward.

Police found a lead
in Delia Maga’s diary.

Flor Contemplacion
became the primary suspect.

Flor allegedly owned up
to the crime after her arrest.

Delia was about to go on a
vacation in the Philippines.

She refused to bring Flor’s
care package for her family.

After an argument, Flor
supposedly killed Delia…

And went on to kill
the child, Nicholas.

"I told you, I did not kill anybody!"

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Flor faced double murder charges.

After three days of trial,
she was sentenced to death.

“Imagine,

from 1991 to early 1995, there
was no public attention on her case.

It was only when Flor
was about to be executed

when the case went public.

Back in the Philippines,

there were street protests to pressure
Singapore to stop the execution.

"The government only
moved at the last minute."

Flor Contemplacion became
a symbol of the fate of OFWs

abused by their foreign employers...

and abandoned by the Philippine
government who can't protect them.

"We were there the whole time --

Two years of investigation..."

"and according to our consul general,

she did not deny,
participation in the beginning."

According to the Singapore government,

the death sentence
will only be delayed

if Flor would recant her
original statement that she did it.

But she did not recant.

On March 17, 1995…

"Justice for Flor!"

While thousands of
Filipinos prayed for a miracle,

"Pray for us, oh merciful
Virgin... Pray for us."

Flor Contemplacion
was executed by hanging.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death..."

"Mama Flor!"

Delia Maga’s husband was
in my mother’s wake for days.

He also did not believe
my mom can kill his wife…

that a woman can
commit such a crime.

The Magas themselves were
surprised by the autopsy findings.

Three months after Flor was executed,

Viva Films released
‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’.

In this movie version,
Flor was innocent.

When the film was shown at the
International Festival in Toronto,

A Singaporean stood up
and said, ‘Your film is not true!’

Your film is not true.
That is not the truth!

So I said, This is my truth
and this is the Filipino truth.

If you would like to
have your own story,

why don't you make your own film
based on a Singaporean opinion?

But this is our truth.

This is the truth that I believed in.

There was a scene in the film
where Flor’s children visited her

at Changi Prison.

There was a glass divider.

Flor was trying to embrace
her kids and vice versa.

That simple scene demonstrated
the kind of mother Flor was.

Because despite of all the struggles

she have been through,
all her problems,

the only thing that matters to her
is to see and embrace her children.

‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’
was a big hit…

But tragedy struck Flor’s family again.

My three brothers got
involved in illegal drugs.

They were sentenced to life in prison.

They are now at the
national penitentiary.

They’ve been there for 13 years.

My eldest brother
died while in prison.

If Mama were here, if she
did not leave the country,

this would not have
happened to my family.

The story of Flor Contemplacion

brought to fore the plight
of overseas Filipino workers.

When we talk about justice,
we should talk about

why Filipinos are forced to go abroad.

There’s not enough
opportunity for them here.

That fact alone is
an injustice to them.

There are still OFWs being beaten up.

There are those who
go home in a box, killed,

will never saw justice served.

I hope there will come a time
when Filipinos don’t ever have

to go overseas to work.

We do not need these stories.

"Justice for Flor!"

"...beyond reasonable doubt,
guilty of robbery and murder."

"Innocent! The accusations are false!"

Order!

"He didn't do anything wrong!"

Order in the court!

In films, justice is
almost always served.

"Believe me, I am innocent!"

But that’s not the case in real life.

Some crime cases take
several years to solve.

In every unlawful act,
there is a crime scene…

where pieces of evidence
pointing to suspects are.

Evidence in the Vizconde
massacre were burned.

"It is regrettable that there is
no evidence, they burned it..."

"They completely destroyed evidence

that could point to the
culprits of this murder."

This court hereby finds all
the principal acused, guilty!

Even without evidence,
the case went to trial.

To suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua

"I think this is a very strong case,

and we did not
even search for Jessica,

she came forward on her own."

"Her conscience bothered her
that's why she came forward."

"Do you have a lover among this four?

Yes, Peter Estrada."

"Who raped the victim first?"

"Who participated in the rape
and the stabbing incident

based on your statement?"

"Hubert and Tony Boy."

When Jessica Alfaro surfaced,

the defense team put
her credibility in question.

Let’s distinguish evidence.

There’s the eye-witness
testimonies or narratives...

...which are valuable because
they are the first-hand statements.

...although these can also be
weak since we do not know...

if witnesses are telling the
truth or are being objective.

"That woman does not know my son.

Her description was far from
the description of my son!"

Their alibi did not pass.

It was a controversial
investigation and trial.

"...the principal accused
guilty beyond reasonable doubt

...and hereby sentences each of them

to suffer the penalty
of reclusion perpetua."

The suspects' appeals even
reached the Supreme Court.

The Webbs camp asked the High Tribunal

for a DNA test to see if semen
found in Carmela Vizconde

was that of Hurbert's.

The semen sample found in
Carmela's body went missing.

The NBI and the Court both denied
responsibility for the lost evidence.

The Webb family is
going to file a motion to cite

any of these two entities for contemt
for having lost the evidence.

It's the complete prejudice
of the accused Hubert Webb.

"Imagine 20 years
after my family's murder?"

"Is this the kind of justice
we have in the Philippines?"

"I'm old, I'm already
tired of expecting."

Lauro Vizconde’s 20-year
wait for justice was in vain.

"Court en banc has acquitted

Hubert Jeffrey T. Webb, Antonio Lejano

“My world has fallen apart!"

There’s no more
justice in this country!”

"Mr. Vizconde, can
we get your statement?"

"I have nothing more to say.

Let me be..."

"My God!

Where do we find justice now?"

Dr. De Ungria believes
if forensic science

was used in the Vizconde massacre
case and other crimes,

the investigations could have been
more accurate and the justice swift.

Forensic DNA

is key in the investigation
of crimes involving rape.

The National Bureau of Investigation

agrees science and
technology are important.

Technology has evolved

because of the existence of the crime.

We now have devices to
investigate computer-related crimes.

In our digital forensic laboratory,

we have what we call forensic autopsy,

computer autopsy, or gadgets autopsy.

That's what we call
our forensic work station.

The role of DNA analysis in crime
investigation has also advanced.

“DNA sampling is a science

that helps identify the
victim and the sample source.

DNA aids in the way we ask questions.

It helps us reconstruct the
circumstances surrounding the crime.

"This Court therefore
finds the accused,

guilty beyond reasonable doubt
of all the charges against them."

"We didn't do anything!"

Justice has been served for
the family of Eileen Sarmenta

and Allan Gomez with the imprisonment
of former mayor Antonio Sanchez

But there are still many
victims and accused

seeking final verdict on their cases.

For experts, evidence-gathering

must be accurate from the start...

because this will dictate
the pace of the trial.

First, there should be
proper documentation.

Evidence at the crime scene
could be moved around or even lost.

Second, there should be
different ways of gathering evidence

to avoid contamination.

Third, ensure chain of custody.

Even if collection of
evidence was properly done,

if the chain's broken, that
will be inadmissible in Court.

The Philippine National Police and
the National Bureau of Investigation

are the lead government
agencies in crime investigation.

The criminal justice
system rests on the Court.

But before a case goes up,

there's the prosecution
and law enforcement ladders.

When we declare 'case closed' with
a recommendation to file in Court...

that's victory on our part.

But for the Volunteers
Against Crime and Corruption,

‘case closed’ does
not always mean a win.

When a case is filed,
that's 'case closed, '

but 'case solved'
is a different matter.

While there are people who have
lost confidence in the justice system,

some see hope in science.

Science should be
constantly developed

so justice will be served on time.

For victims, what
matters is the truth.

Their questions should be answered.

After the truth comes justice.

We do not want
innocent people in jail.

"According to the Penal
Code of the Philippines,

you are hereby
sentenced by this Court..."

Movies are a reflection of
what’s happening in a society.

Every victim wants justice.

"You dismissed our case... Oh my God!"

The accused could
always claim innocence.

But in the end, unimpeachable evidence
from the crime scene holds the truth.