Hubert Webb shares life after Bilibid
Text and interview by Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Video production and editing by loQal.ph, Special to Yahoo! Southeast Asia
His is a story fit for a long-running television soap opera. Only that, now, it would be harder to decipher whether he's the villain or not.
Last week, Hubert Webb's tale took a 180-degree turn. From being a suspected killer and rapist and being convicted by the local and appellate courts, he was, after 15 years in jail, acquitted by the Supreme Court.
Now he says he is as eager as Lauro Vizconde in finding the "real" culprit of the grim June 30, 1991 murders of Estrellita, Carmela (who was also raped), and Jennifer Vizconde.
"If we found out who really did it, it would put a stamp on everything. We would try to do anything to find out who really did it," Webb told Yahoo! Southeast Asia in an interview.
To this day, Hubert claims he didn't do it and he was in the United States when the crime was committed—an alibi the Supreme Court considered as it handed down its decision to reverse earlier court decisions that he be punished with life imprisonment.
Free again
A week after Hubert gained back his freedom, it is evident he is still trying to reintegrate into the society.
He's relearning how to drive, getting himself oriented to new infrastructures in the metro (he wants to try the MRT), trying to update his fashion sense (he says in jest that he still likes to wear baggy pants), and above all, he's coping with his sudden change of lifestyle.
Hubert now lives in his parents' air-conditioned condominium, a far cry from a small room in the jail that he said had "spoiled air."
He now gets almost whatever he wants—he can eat chicharon when he wants or go to the grocery and buy his favorite chips or soda.
And if in the past all he got were "judgmental" looks, now he's busy accommodating requests for photo-ops. He gets "Merry Christmas" greetings and even hugs from strangers. To say the least, it appears he's been vindicated.
He'll also have a lot of catching up to do not only with his family and friends. He is set to go to the doctors for a general check-up and to have his eyes checked, as well as pay a visit to the dentist.
Although happy that he's finally free, Hubert says he will not put aside the things he learned while in jail.
In fact, to remind himself of everything he and his family has gone through, he got himself tattooed—one on his chest when he became a member of the Sputnik gang inside the Parañaque City Jail and a Phoenix on his right bicep as a memento of his stint at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa. He says he got inked the second time weeks before his acquittal.
On "Mara Clara" jokes and Jake Cuenca
Jokes about Hubert getting surprised that "Mara Clara" is still on air (the one being shown now is already a remake) have gone viral and even reached the Webb family.
Hubert says he laughs about it, too.
He also saw several posts on Twitter saying that he looked like Baby James Yap, Kris Aquino's youngest son.
"E di okay, mommy ko si Kris," Hubert said in jest.
But when asked if he's ready for a film about his life with Jake Cuenca portraying him, he answers: "Who's Jake Cuenca?"
In the video below, Hubert also shares his thoughts about joining politics, having a family, and, in a (very) rare occasion, talks about his 17-year-old son. (Video by Gail Javier/Edzelle Pena;loQal.ph)
