THE CHIONG SISTERS MURDER CASE

INTRODUCTION

It all started when the Chiong sisters, Jackie Chiong and Marijoy Chiong, daughters of Thelma
Chiong and Dionisio Chiong, went missing on July 16, 1997, at Carcar, Cebu.

The body of Marijoy Chiong was said to have been found two days later at one of the ravines on
the island of Cebu in the Philippines, which was later debated as there was no formal
identification of the body. It was later stated in the autopsy of the dead body that it had
undergone gang rape. Francisco Juan "Paco" Larrañaga allegedly found guilty; the main
suspect of the crime together with the six other suspects, Josman Aznar, Ariel Balansag,
Alberto Caño, Rowen Wesley Adlawan, and James Anthony Uy, also known as The Chiong 7.

According to the prosecutors, on July 16, 1997, at 10:00 in the evening, Paco, together with the
six other defendants, kidnapped the two ladies outside the Ayala Mall located in Cebu City.
Therefore, Paco was said to be in his school, studying and taking his exams, when the crime
happened. On the same day, later that night, he went to a bar with his friends to have some fun.
To make a long story short, there are 45 witnesses, to be exact, stating that they were with
Paco in Manila while the alleged crime was happening in Cebu.

If you were already alive when the crime happened, which of the two sides would you believe?
Will you be on the side of the Chiong family? Or would you rather choose the side of the
Larrañaga family and the other suspects involved in the Chiong sisters’ case?

CHALLENGE

The case was already closed, but it still remains mysterious for so many people. There are so
many questions that were left unanswered. Both sides have their own story, and people need to
equally listen. In our own perspective, we strongly believe that Paco is innocent. To prove it,
there was no solid proof presented that Paco and other defendants of the Chiong 7 were the
ones who committed the “allegedly” crime.

Paco was illegally arrested without a warrant of arrest and placed in prison without a proper
investigation or further knowledge about the crime. The police official who arrested Paco also
had an expired license. Can you really trust someone who’s not responsible and sensible under
their own authority?

The Chiong family was said to have their own evidence regarding the subject matter; their only
proof is the statement of Davidson Rusia claiming he had been with Paco and the other six on
the night while the alleged crime was happening, but it’s not enough. How can one trust
someone who has violated the laws before in their own country?

There was also no secure evidence that the body found was Marijoy’s figure, in view of the fact
that the judge who handled the case denied the defendants lawyers’ request to further examine
the body and even ordered them to be jailed for a period of time.

It’s also suspicious how an official forgot about the “strong” evidence that was said to lead the
Chiong 7 to be jailed and how unfairly they treated the Chiong 7 compared to Russia. Mrs.
Thelma was seen visiting Rusia in jail often, giving him clothes and food until he was released
by the judge, Martin Ocampo.

The judge also didn’t let Paco defend himself and speak for himself to prove that he was
innocent; all of his requests were denied, such as having 45 witnesses and records that he was
present by the time the crime took place.

How can the judge be convinced by a criminal rather than the 45 witnesses, which include
professionals (e.g., professors, school principals, and security guards), evident pictures, and the
written attendance that was presented at that time? The prosecutors, police, and lawyers
involved in and handled the certain case, defending the Chiong sisters, were also promoted to
their positions.

To a greater extent, the judge made an indecisive decision regarding the case between the two
sides. This was portrayed when he answered one of the questions that the interviewee had
asked him about his decision.

Before the sisters went missing, the father of the two was supposed to testify about his trucking
business, which is assumed to have some involvement with drugs. Following the events
regarding his two daughters, he refused to testify.

The emotions Thelma Chiong portrayed seem like a play to deceive the citizens of the
Philippines, additionally adding more pressure to the opposing side. Unreliable assumptions of
the citizens can be seen in how they reacted when Mrs. Thelma Chiong lashed out when Paco
was found guilty.

A few years after the case was closed, Martin Ocampo, the judge who maneuvered the case,
committed suicide by shooting himself in front of the mirror and leaving a suicide letter behind
the crime scene. It happened at the hotel; he was checking in, and the first one who found his
dead body was the employee who works at the hotel. His children and wife told the media that
his job is his life. What could be the obvious reason behind this?

During Eraps’ term, corruption was vigorous and can be seen in cases like this. It was evident
and clear how biased the jury system is in the Philippines. The case can also be seen as Paco
vs. the people of our country, and they were immediately judged without further knowledge
about a certain case. It’s biased how people took sides with the sisters’ mother, assuming that
she’s right with whatever she accuses about the Chiong 7.

SOLUTION

If we were the judges, we would examine the case cautiously and attentively. We won't make a
big decision, especially since the families of the two victims have no hard evidence to show.
During the era when the case of the Chiong sisters was still in the process, we would seek out
more factual and legitimate evidence that would help us decide which side was telling the truth
and which of them was lying.

We will let Paco and the other suspects speak and defend themselves. We will not listen to
Davidson Valiente Rusia. It's very clear that Russia is telling lies. On the other side, if we were
the lawyers, we would get the DNA test of the dead body that was said to be the body of Marijoy
Chiong to see if it was really her. We will also search for the other witnesses who were at the
mall during that time when the 7 suspects "kidnapped" the Chiong sisters and ask them what
really happened that night in the mall and if they saw two girls being forced to be with the 7
guys.
We would make the clash between these two fair and equal. Both sides could express freely.
Both problems and evidence of these two faced and presented would be acknowledged to make
sure the right person gets the justice they needed. We’ll only rely on factual and legitimate
evidence and never accept any kind of bribery.

We’ll also continue the other case in which Mr. Dionisio Chiong was involved before the incident
happened and resolve it as soon as possible so that it won’t be overshadowed by the
controversial topic. We would also minimize the impact of it on both families. As seen in the
documentary “Give Up Tomorrow”, it’s obvious how Paco’s family experienced backlash and
pressure from the public authority and the citizens. For Chiong’s side, they mostly expressed
their grievance, which made the crowd furious and judge the case without advance
comprehension.

BENEFIT

If all of our solutions were made before, the victims, Paco and six other men, would never get
false accusations, and they would be proved innocent. They will not suffer for so many years in
jail to face the consequences of the crime they did not commit. They might be successful by
now and have reached and accomplished their dreams. They would be in a much better place
and situation by now, and of course, they would finish their studies.

All it took was one accusation to make their lives miserable and worse. Having to face such
heartbreaking and soul-breaking situations that they don’t deserve.

The crowd will have better discernment towards the victims and their families.

REFLECTION

In this case study, we learned many things. We learned that it is very important to hear every
person’s perspective and explanations before deciding what to do with them. It shows how
important it is to listen to everyone’s story before judging them. We also realized how biased
and unfair the justice system was before, and not every victim is really a victim. It’s very easy to
manipulate people. It’s funny how they can judge easily without knowing one’s story. Maybe
they know what really happened, but they chose not to interfere with the issue
REFERENCES:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiong_murder_case

Documentary: https://youtu.be/t0VJMs0ZQdE?si=XWe1DOlTnEoJJ_RR

You tube: https://youtu.be/okQpWse6AK0?si=MZlzTkDUjRBRaqfj

https://youtu.be/QgSoypImNy0?si=JKfe9swXoR1Jexv3

https://youtu.be/hZ9iX4WaOOY?si=WRoRLdrtYlqkoXpr

GROUP MEMBERS:

Nikkie Shane Abes

Realyn B. Delamide

Rhea Mae Lomocso

Marie Joice Pandan

Lunalyn V. Samperoy

11 – HUMSS A

Philippine Politics and Governance

Mrs. Precious O. Gregorio