chefjanella

[chefjanella]

EAPP M4:W4

           The documentary by Rappler, ‘Give Up Tomorrow’, shows the case of Chiong Sisters Case with their lead suspect, Paco Larranaga together with the six other suspects of the said crime. The justice system of the Philippines wasn’t fair enough to uphold the innocence of the suspects that leads to imprisonment.

           The Chiong murder case (People of the Philippines vs. Francisco Juan Larrañaga et al.) On July 16, 1997 in Cebu, sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong allegedly were kidnapped, raped, and murdered. Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga (b. 1977), a man of dual Filipino and Spanish citizenship was, along with six others, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death by lethal injection on February 3, 2004. Capital punishment in the Philippines has since been abolished.

            In the documentary ‘Give Up Tomorrow’, the case of the Chiong Sisters were considered as the worst crime in Carcar, Cebu. The police was pressured so they had to investigate and look for the suspects right then and there.

           Paco’s sister got a phone call from Paco on September 15 saying that there are four men wearing civilian clothes trying to grab him to go in Kamp Krame. But her sister was able to rush to Paco’s immediately getting there clueless. She asked for the warrant but the said police wasn’t able to show off because it is a continuous case. Her sister asked them when this happened, (July 16-17) which shows that Paco was still in school that time. It is shown in the registrars’ records of attendance to prove that Paco was innocent and wasn’t able to go at the different places at the same time.

           Thirty-five witnesses, including Larrañaga’s teachers and classmates at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in Quezon City, testified under oath that he was in Quezon City, when the crime is said to have taken place in Cebu. However, the trial court considered these testimonies irrelevant, rejecting these as coming from "friends of the accused," and they were not admitted.

           Rowena Bautista, an instructor and chef at the culinary center, said Larrañaga was in school from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and saw him again at about 6:30 p.m on July 16. The school’s registrar, Caroline Calleja, said she proctored a two-hour exam where Larrañaga was present from 1:30 p.m. Larrañaga attended his second round of midterm exams on July 17 commencing at 8 a.m. Only then did Larrañaga leave for Cebu in the late afternoon of July 17, 1997. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiong_murder_case)

               As you can observe, the actions of the judge, the lawyer (Chiong Family) was irrelevant. They were declining all the evidences that the other party was giving. They are urged to put Paco Larranaga behind bars together with the six men without even having the hard evidence that they were really the suspects in committing such crimes.

           The prosecutors' case against Larrañaga centered on the testimony of a co-defendant, David Valiente Rusia. In exchange for blanket immunity, he testified. The trial court only permitted Larrañaga’s counsel to cross-examine Rusia for half an hour, despite the fact that Rusia’s direct testimony lasted for days. In that half-hour, Larrañaga’s counsel established that Rusia had lied to the prosecution and the court concerning his prior convictions. While Rusia had claimed he had never been convicted of crime. in fact he had a record of burglary and forgery.

           It is also alleged that the Chiong sisters' father worked for a drug cartel and was due to testify right before his daughters' abductions. Needless to say he did not testify against his drug boss. This information never seemed to be factored into the trial of the seven accused. Paco’s sister believed that Mr. Chiong was hiding something or even the family because they were pushing that Chiong-7 was really the abductor.

           There were a lot of statements that were being denied and cancelled by the justice system of the Philippines which is an unfair fight between Paco and the six men versus the people in the Philippines. They can’t defend themselves because almost people are anti-Paco. There were also some witnesses from the Chiong’s side that was believed being paid off to testify that Paco and the six men committed the crime.

           While there is no doubt in the minds of the family of Jacqueline and Marijoy Chiong as to who were responsible for the sisters’ abduction and murder, neither is there doubt on the side of the families and friends of the seven men convicted of the crime that they are innocent. The mystery that endures is somewhere in between the two sides, manifested in the doubt that lingers in the minds of some of us.

           This doubt is colored with guilt for not being in unconditional solidarity with the family of the victims, guilt of not supporting wholeheartedly the cause of the family and friends of the seven convicted men. Cebu is a place where everybody knows everybody, directly or indirectly. (https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/09/09/opinion/columnists/the-enduring-agony-of-the-chiong-case/613152/)

[chefjanella]

EAPP M2-W2

Type of Written Work: ESSAY

Reasons for choosing this type of written work: I choose ESSAY because in my high school experiences, I always make an essay for requirements and assignments. It is also one of the easiest type of written work.

Topic: How to be a successful businesswoman?

Reason for choosing the topic: I choose this topic because in the future, being a businesswoman is one of my dreams. And also, I am in an ABM strand which circulates mostly in handling a business.

Purpose for writing: I wanted to learn and understand a lot of broader terms in being a businesswoman and building a business. This may help to increase my knowledge vividly. I also wanted to share some of my insights and ideas so everyone must be aware of what I’ve learned.

Audience: My audience will be the students and teachers of St. Joseph Academy.