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(UPDATE) CA overturns Villarosa murder conviction

Lack of evidence cited

By Maila Ager, Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:06:00 03/19/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- The Court of Appeals has overturned the ruling of a lower court that convicted a former congressman and six others of murder.

The 5th division of the appellate court said there was not enough evidence to convict Jose Villarosa, husband of Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa of the House of Representatives.

This was confirmed to INQUIRER.net Wednesday by Villarosa himself when sought for his comment at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) where he has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

“The decision came out at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. But we were advised by my lawyer at 5:00 p.m.,” Villarosa said.

Aside from him, Villarosa said also acquitted were Gelito Bautista, Mario Tobias, and Ruben Balader.

However, the court upheld the murder convictions of three others.

With the decision of the appellate court, Villarosa said he might be released in a few days.

Villarosa and his co-accused were convicted in 2006 for the murders in 1997 of Paul and Michael Quintos, sons of the lawmaker’s political rival, former Occidental Mindoro governor Ricardo Quintos, and were sentenced to death by Judge Teresa Yadao of the Quezon City regional trial court.

Villarosa appealed his conviction before the appellate court thereafter.

But Villarosa said his lawyers were now preparing a case against Yadao for alleged “abuse of the judiciary and ignorance of the law.”

“Pinag-aaralan ng mga lawyers ko kung ano ang isasampa naming kaso sa kanya [My lawyers are studying what case to file against her]. Maaaring kasuhan namin siya ng [We can file a case of] disbarment sa [before the] Supreme Court at [and] ignorance of the law,” he said.

“In effect, we are condemning her guilty verdict on us. Papatayin niya kami sa maling desisyon niya [She’s going to kill us with her wrong decision] that is totally biased and unjust?” he said.

During his stay at the National Bilibid Prison, the former representative of Occidental Mindoro was diagnosed with lung cancer and was allowed to leave jail for confinement at the MMC.

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I saw it coming. And I suppose Quintos saw it coming, too.
For this, Amelita Villarosa literally licked the ass of her Madame President -- serving as great alalay, and even sold her personal integrity for (remember her "lie" to divert to herself the media attention in the light of the bagged-cash distributed to the governors in Malacanan?).
I saw it coming in a country where the judiciary is for sale and hence reproachable..
I saw it coming in a country where the right is make wrong and the wrong rendered right.. If one has money and "right" (read: dubious) connections...
What makes me fearful is what I am seeing to happen in Occidental Mindoro... Now that JTV is back..