Give Up Tomorrow

Into the Labyrinth of the Philippine Justice System
You need to see this movie.

Francisco "Paco" Larrañaga was 19 when he was arrested, tried, and found guilty of the rape and murder of Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong. For the past 15 years he has maintained that he is innocent, that he was not in Cebu when the crimes occurred, that he was not acquainted with the Chiong sisters or all his six co-accused. The former culinary school student underwent a judicial trial memorable for its bizarreness, and the kind of trial by publicity that makes one wonder whether the media is even interested in feigning objectivity. Larrañaga has been sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, then death, then life imprisonment again, and now exile in a Spanish prison. Under the rules of the Spanish penal system, he could get parole - if he admits that he committed the crimes he has vehemently denied. Welcome to the Theatre of the Absurd, as lived by Paco Larrañaga of Cebu, Bilibid, and now Spain.

Filmmakers...

Must-See! Philippine justice: for sale or too lazy?
In an unbelievable exposition on the folly of one Fil-Spanish prisoner, my eyes were opened to the abject stupidity of the Philippine justice system and the Philippine law enforcement system. Paco Larranaga has languished in prison for 15 years and faces 28 more; his sentence is final-- no more appeals except to human mercy. He is there because he was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering 2 sisters from Cebu. The judge sentenced him and 6 other co-accused to life in prison. But did he really commit the crime?

Evidence the film shows points otherwise. Paco was in Manila, taking exams and hanging with friends, when in a Kafkaesque turn of events he is brought to jail in Cebu with the horrendous accusations. He is not allowed to give even an alibi, and is immediately painted a monster by the media. An eyewitness is brought in to point the finger at Paco et. al. (though the witness is said to have been coerced by the police under torture to testify). The nation joins...

Sad miscarriage of justice in the Philippines
I saw this documentary on PBS and decided to buy the DVD so I could share it with my in-laws in the Philippines. Read the summary elsewhere and then see it yourself.

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