Lauro Vizconde on Teehankee Jr’s release: You call this justice?

MANILA, Philippines - Lauro Vizconde on Thursday said he was shocked by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s decision to pardon convicted murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr. “How can we call this justice?" Vizconde, whose wife and two daughters were murdered on June 30, 1991 at their house in BF Homes, Parañaque, said. The multiple murder, tagged as the Vizconde Massacre, became a sensational case that year because the accused were sons of famous and wealthy families. The son of former senator Freddie Webb, Hubert, was among them. "We are totally shocked with the news [that Teehankee has been granted pardon]," Vizconde told GMA News’ Sandra Aguinaldo. Teehankee, the son of former Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee Sr., was found guilty in 1995 of killing Maureen Hultman and Roland John Chapman in 1991. The friend of Hultman and Chapman, Jussi Leino, was seriously wounded in that attack. The court sentenced Teehankee to life imprisonment. But 13 years later, Mrs Arroyo approved the granting of executive clemency to Teehankee by virtue of a letter on October 2 to the Office of the New Bilibid Prison (NBD) Director. Vizconde told GMA News that he and the Hultmans met in Makati City in 2005. He said the Hultmans talked about the civil damages the Teehankees paid them. He said the couple stressed that they were against the idea of releasing Teehankee from jail via executive pardon. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV