Breaking one of my childhood "truths"

Yesterday I went to UP Likas, UP ALYANSA, and UP Law Batch 2014 sponsored (I had to mention everyone of them because its election season and they all have to be mentioned in one way or another) forum series about the Legal System in the Philippines. For their first event, they decided to interview a Hubert Webb to describe his experiences when he was incarcerated due to the Vizconde Massacre.

When I first heard of this forum series, I was looking forward to it. I wanted to see for myself what does he have to say after everything. Considering this was a forum in UP, people are free to ask any question ( unlike if it were held in Ateneo, where they usually have participants write on a piece of paper so that they can screen questions before putting them forward to their guests). 

Seeing him there live was a bit surreal. Being part of the generation which grew up with the 'truth' that Hubert Webb killed the Vizconde family members out of jealousy while in a drug haze, I was among those who cried "Acquittal does not mean innocence" when the Supreme Court recently declared that the evidence presented cannot stand to convict him beyond reasonable doubt (before I even read the decision). To see him walk inside the halls of Malcolm, free, and escorted by his cousins who all look well, and well to do, I cannot help but have an internal cringe for poor Mr. Lauro Vizconde who cried on National TV when the SC reversed the ruling of the CA and the RTC.

Despite my biases I went; despite these biases I tried to keep an open mind. 

Before going up the stage, Hubert went into a corner and prayed. Then he went to the couch on the stage and  spent a couple of restless moments on it.

Hubert Webb was seated on the stage with a host named Gan (who also holds weekly educational sessions for prisoners detained at the Bilibid)  Atty. Adel Tamano who said UP Law was the best law school in QC only (he said please allow me to have this chance while my wife, a up law graduate, is not around), good looking as ever came in 2 hours late/r to answer law related questions like can the state be sued for its negligence in losing evidence (possible yes, winnable - doubtful), and against Inquirer for libel (same;same) 

Surprisingly, no one asked him if he really did it. Lol. However there were the usual questions - How was life for you now that you're out of the four walls? Great. Did you get to enjoy the paid "temporary freedoms"? No, it was only for low profile convicts. Why did you have a bigger cell than the rest of the inmates? Monetary donations to the institution helped. Did you pay for your freedom? If I could have paid for it, why did I have to wait for 15 years inside before doing so?. Did your brother really do it and your family pointed you to take the blame because you had a real alibi?No. Why was the fact that you were in US never came out? Because Teofisto Guingona and others hid the investigation report. Why did de Lima never confirm it? For some reason it she cannot seem to find the time to verify my presence when all it takes is one phone call all this time since I got out. Are your co-accused truly innocent? All I know is that they were in the Philippines and I wasn't. Did you ever take drugs while inside? Did you feel any bad feelings towards your fellow co-accused? One can't help but feel that way as I was the only one being interviewed all the time, they wouldn't talk and they all rode in my alibi Etc. He answered all the questions candidly, and truthfully. 

He said that he didn't mind the questions because the people asking them were the intelligent ones who are capable of critical analysis and will not paint him as the great demon (media) without hearing him first. For that reason, the media were also not allowed inside. Poor good looking Atom Araullo was sent away :( 

I was recording the entire thing but for some divine intervention, my camera heated up and hanged, and lost all 2 hours of it. Perhaps his prayer before the interview did work. 

I expected mudslinging, woe-is-me attitude, and I'm-free-in-your-face-cockiness, and I didn't find it. Instead I found a person who seemingly just came from John Rawl's Veil of Ignorance who advocates for the reform of the Philippine Criminal Justice system, reforms anyone of us can agree with (even if we have different opinions about his guilt). He described the lack of investigation, the absence of forensics capability, the negligence of the NBI to lose vital evidence, the promotion of system of Judges who gets brownie points for every conviction not every resolution of a case and the overcrowding in the prison systems. The problems in the system are undeniable and as he pointed out, if it could happen to the son of a rich politician, it can happen to anybody.

 A portion was spent on his youth, his thoughts looking back and his way ahead. This was the part which I found most enlightening. Problems are not something you can hide or run away from, you just deal. People may say that they have so many problems, but he has been there and that. "People have to have one truth that they believe in otherwise with all the pressure you will just want to kill yourself". His life was taken away from him. Does he experience any hate actions, yes he does. Did it affect him? He said his experience in prison was much worse than this and he can take it. He can understand why people actually do and accepts it. Until such time the real culprits are found will the perspective change. He adequately describes this facebook generation where people are so afraid to be unLiked and if negative comments are posted anonymously they keep thinking about it all they. Not being able to please everyone is a fact of life. Deal.

After the 3 hour session with him I found myself agreeing to most of what he said.

Do I still sympathize with Mr. Vizconde? 

I will offer him my condolences for the death of his family and that he is yet to find justice. 

Do I still think he is guilty? 

Reading the SC decision and how it was concluded, I agree. The evidence presented cannot convict him as the culprit for the Vizconde Massacre.

Do I still feel he is guilty? 

Maybe not.anymore.