Documentary inspires campaign to overturn wrongful convictions
The murder and rape of two women in 1997 outraged the nation. Seven men were convicted; one filmmaker believes they were framed
A gripping documentary about a wealthy, young man sentenced to death for the rape and murder of two sisters has catalysed a movement to expose wrongful convictions in the Philippines.
The award-winning Give Up Tomorrow follows Francisco Juan Larranaga as he is transformed from a carefree, culinary arts student into one of the nation's most vilified and hated people whose adult life is lost behind bars.
The documentary presents a compelling case that corrupt authorities framed Larranaga, then aged 19, and six other young men for the 1997 rape and murder of the two sisters in the central Philippine city of Cebu.
"This was a systematic failure of the justice system, and of society," the producer of the film, Marty Syjuco, who is related by marriage to Larranaga said after a screening of the movie in the Philippines recently.
"He didn't stand a chance from day one. There was no presumption of innocence. From the time he was arrested and paraded for the media he was already judged guilty by the public."
The killings of Jacqueline and Marijoy Chiong, aged 23 and 21, triggered public outrage across the Catholic nation.