The Facebook page of the documentary Give Up Tomorrow, which aims to prove Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga’s innocence in the 1997 Chiong murder-rape case, shared a message earlier today supposedly from Larrañaga himself, undeniably the most high-profile person convicted for the case.
It says in the post that Larrañaga was grateful for the public’s support, as well as others taking the time to learn about the “human rights abuses [we went through] and the facts of our case.”
Larrañaga said it’s important to him as it may “prevent more innocent people from falling through the cracks of the justice system.”
“Thank you for being my voice when I cannot speak out in our fight for justice. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude,” he added. “Reading your messages puts a smile in my heart.”
He also said his other six co-accused in the case are “just as innocent [of the crime] as I am.”
Larrañaga, who now works part-time as a chef while serving his sentence in a Spanish prison wrote: “I am fortunate that Spain’s prison system is humane and rehabilitative and that they have allowed me to complete culinary school and to work.
“But not a day goes by that I do not think about James Andrew [Uy], James Anthony [Uy], Alan, Alberto [Cao], Josman [Aznar], and Rowen [Adlawan] and feel a (sic) pain in my soul because they do not deserve to be in Bilibid [Prison] any more than I do,” he said.
He said that the others were victims of injustice, and he urged supporters to hear their stories as well.
“[P]lease know that you have made this burden lighter to bear with your kindness and that I will keep you in my heart and in my prayers,” he ended, adding the #FreeCebu7 hashtag in the post.
The post shared a link to an online petition addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte that aims to re-open the 1997 Chiong murder-rape case. It has over 118,260 signatures as of posting.
READ: Actors, director, of ‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ react to social media backlash
Sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong were raped and killed after they were abducted from Ayala Center in Cebu City in 1997. A body believed to be Marijoy’s was discovered in a ravine in neighboring Carcar. To this day, Jacqueline’s body hasn’t been found.
Larrañaga and six others were convicted of the crime.
Give Up Tomorrow seeks to prove Larrañaga’s innocence of the crime, arguing that he was a victim of a biased judicial system and was merely framed by the government. The documentary maintains that he was in Quezon City when the crime occurred in 1997 and that he had 35 witnesses to support his alibi.
The documentary resurfaced online after the recent release of true crime film Jacqueline Comes Home, which has gotten backlash from netizens who believe that Larrañaga was innocent.
The latest Facebook post has gotten 20,000 likes and 5,600 shares as of this article’s posting, with many netizens siding with Larrañaga.
Kayen Pedreso wrote: “I personally pray for you Paco! And other victims of injustices in the Philippines. God will never leave you nor forsake you. Everything happens for a reason. Keep the faith.”
Jay Ann Bravo added: “Paco is right. Let us not focus on him alone and also pray and reach out to the 6 others that are as innocent as him. In times of need, ask for God’s guidance. He will never leave nor forsake you. Keep your heart strong! You are not alone in this fight.”
“A heart that is so pure. Your teenage days [were] maybe stolen from you tragically, but, still you have grown into such a gentle nice man, your innocence will always prevail in the eyes of the Lord, Paco,” Kim Romero wrote. “Praying and sending all the love for you and the 6 other innocent. Our God will never leave all of you.”
READ: Netizens call for ‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ boycott, say true crime film contains false info
On Saturday Jourdan Sebastian, who introduced himself as a high school friend of Larrañaga, urged the public to sign the same online petition. He painted Larrañaga as “an extremely entitled asshole” who got into several brawls in his teens but said his friend is innocent.
READ: VIRAL: Larrañaga’s friend asks public to sign petition to review Chiong murder case
Meanwhile, last week, actress Donnalyn Bartolome, one of the stars of Jacqueline Comes Home, publicly asked the producer of the film to tell the public “the truth.”
“[T]he team led me to believe that there is a surprise ending that none of the actors know, so that the public would be curious to know what happened to Jacqueline,” she said in the post, adding that the film’s team relied on Mrs. Chiong as their source.
