DateLine Philippines

MANILA–After the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Hubert Web and six others accused of the 1991 Vizconde massacre, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is contemplating reinvestigating the sensational crime.

In an interview, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she would meet with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to discuss a possible reinvestigation in response to the plea of Lauro Vizconde for the government to help him find closure to the 20-year-old deaths of his wife Estrellita, and daughters Carmela and Jennifer.

De Lima admitted time is not on the side of the government considering the 20-year prescriptive period for criminal cases.

But if a reinvestigation is still possible, De Lima said she would direct the NBI to immediately launch a manhunt against two other suspects accused of the massacre – Joey Filart and Artemio Venturina – who were never arrested.

“They are still at large. How come all these years there is no effort to track them down? Why did they go into hiding? Flight is . . . indicative of guilt as legal principles say. For all we know, the truth is with the two other accused who are still at large,” she said.

“But really, we empathize with Mr. Vizconde, we really need a true closure in this case. So we will him within the bounds of law and with the best of our ability as law enforcers,” she added. Read More