Paco's Witnesses Risk EVERYTHING

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One of the greatest injustices that happened is how Francisco Juan G. Larrañaga aka Paco was unfairly arrested with six others. There were already several witnesses that could testify that Paco was in Quezon City. I'm amazed that some people would still believe the faulty Supreme Court Decision, this person who only goes by "Nam Nam" even says that the log book and the photos may have been tampered with. Yet, there were more than 30 witnesses who knew that Paco was in Manila when the crime happened. Just watching Give Up Tomorrow made my blood boil at how faulty the justice system could get. 

It's amazing how these vital pieces of evidence were ignored soon after Paco's arrest on September 15, 1997:

  1. The pictures of Paco and his friends were dismissed because "they could've been tampered with". Never mind that the judge didn't order the evidence examined.
  2. Plane ticket schedules were also ignored. I love the way that Solita Collas-Monsod described the judge's colorful imagination that Paco could hire an airplane, go to Cebu, do the dastardly deed, and return to Manila without a record whatsoever. The judge was simply ignoring common sense. As one of the lawyers said, the judge was making his own rules. 
  3. If I remember correctly, Cebu City Vice Mayor Atty. Raymond N. Garcia even presented negatives in court. How could the judge even dismiss the negatives to prove that Paco was in Manila?

The late Charles Edward P. Celdran discusses the problem of trial by publicity. There was really hardly any evidence until 10 months later with Davidson Rusia. Yet, Davidson's story was so full of inconsistences. An episode in The Calvento Files dealt with the narrative of Davidson as if it were the truth--that's before the defense could present its case that Paco (and the six others) weren't the perpetrators. 

The unfair arrest of Paco still takes place today. It's sad how many years of Paco's life were wasted. Sure, paco is now working as a chef in Spain at day but he still has to sleep in jail at night. Some may say that they would rather believe the Supreme Court decision because it's the Supreme Court (as that "Nam Nam" says). However, that "Nam Nam" (and others like her) may need to ask, "Would you respect a supreme court decision that declares you guilty even when you know you're innocent?" 

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