Филиппиндердегі қанды оқиға: Чонг қарындастарының ісі

Murder case in the Philippines

The Chiong murder case (People of the Philippines v. Francisco Juan Larrañaga et al.) was a trial regarding an incident on July 16, 1997, in Cebu City, in which sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong 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. Larrañaga was later commuted to life imprisonment, following the abolition of capital punishment in the Philippines in June 2006, and was transferred to Spain to serve out his sentence in October 2009. The Chiong sisters remain missing to this day.

According to the prosecutors, at 10:00 p. m. on July 16, 1997, Larrañaga and six other defendants kidnapped the Chiong sisters near a mall in Cebu, raped them, and then threw Marijoy's body into a ravine. This was later disputed because there was no formal identification of the body, and it was later determined that it was not the body of one of the sisters. Jacqueline's body was never found. The testimony of a co defendant, Davidson Valiente Rusia, Rusia claimed that he was with Larrañaga in Ayala Center, Cebú early in the evening of July 16, the evening Larrañaga says that he was at R&R Restaurant in Quezon City with his friends. Rusia was unknown to Larrañaga However, the trial court considered these testimonies irrelevant, rejecting these as coming from "friends of the accused," and they were not admitted.

On June 24, 2006, capital punishment was abolished in the Philippines.

Night of July 16–17, 1997 – Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga and six others kidnapped sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong outside a mall in Cebu. Larrañaga, Josman Aznar, and James Anthony Uy took turns raping the sisters. Marijoy's allegedly body was found 2 days later, but it was determined that it wasn't Marijoy's body. Jacqueline's body was never found, according to the testimonies of suspect turned state witness Davidson Valiente Rusia. May 5, 1999 – Larrañaga and six others were convicted of kidnapping and serious illegal detention with homicide and rape. February 3, 2004 – The Supreme Court has imposed the death penalty on all suspects except Uy, who was a minor when the crime was committed. July 2005 – The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. June 24, 2006 – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9346, abolishing the use of capital punishment. December 3, 2007 – Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos convinced the Philippine government to allow Larrañaga, a Spanish citizen, to serve his sentence in Spain under a bilateral treaty signed in November that year. October 6, 2009 – Larrañaga is allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence at the Madrid Central Penitentiary at Soto del Real. June 25, 2019 – The Supreme Court decided to void certain portions of RA No. 10592, which grants additional good conduct time allowance to inmates, thereby making its application retroactive instead of prospective. September 2, 2019 – Bureau of Corrections Director General Nicanor Faeldon confirmed the release of Aznar, Balansag, Caño, and Uy, the four persons convicted for the 1997 murder of the Chiong Sisters. September 4, 2019 – President Rodrigo Duterte fired Faeldon for approving the release of the four convicts. September 6, 2019 – Balansag and Caño, who were released by virtue of the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance Law, surrendered to the authorities. September 18, 2019 – Uy and Aznar also surrendered to the authorities.